


Perfect

by ProfSuzbear



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, First Love, Flashbacks, Fluff, High School, Maybe a tiny little bit of angst, Re-encounter, Rekindled love, Second Chances, Street Musician/Bar Singer Beca, Then Life Happened, Veterinarian Chloe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-01-10 14:31:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 81,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12301101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfSuzbear/pseuds/ProfSuzbear
Summary: Being a veterinarian isn’t easy, but Chloe Beale made it. She has her own veterinary clinic, an apartment in the city with a great view, a seemingly perfect boyfriend who's in the air force. But sometimes she still wonders if there’s something missing in her life. That is until she stumbled upon a street corner and saw her first love, Beca Mitchell, standing there in the cold night in a New York street, playing guitar and singing, that stirs up old and slightly painful memories, as well as all those deeply-buried feelings from so long ago. Haven’t seen each other in almost 8 years, will they reconnect and have a second chance with each other? Will Chloe finally find that missing piece in her life?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so a few days ago I was listening to Perfect by Ed Sheeran, and then this idea of a fic just occurred to me that I had to put it down. I was going for a one-shot, but apparently my hands or my mind thought otherwise. :) Anyway, I'm really excited and a little nervous about my first multi-chapter story! So I hope you'll enjoy it as well. 
> 
> However, I do feel like mentioning that the first 2 chapters may seem going a bit slow. That's because I kind of want to talk a bit more about where Chloe and Beca are at their lives and get some backstories in before we can talk about how perfect these two belong to each other (*wink). And don't worry, the story will go a little faster in later chapters and there will be plenty flashbacks. 
> 
> Now how did I manage to ramble this much?! I'll shut up now.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Perfect or any songs used in this fic.

  **  
**

It was nearly midnight. Chloe was just stepping out of her office in the clinic. She looked up at the clock hanging on the wall near the entrance door and sighed. _Another day working overtime…Great._ She thought to herself and turned off all the lights in the clinic and prepared to finally go home.

 

It wasn’t easy to become a veterinarian, but Chloe made it, and she couldn’t be prouder of herself. After those seemingly endless years in vet school, she graduated top of her class with honour and got an internship easily at a local clinic. After one year of internship, she finally became a veterinarian and started to live the dream life she always wanted since she was 8 years old. Just 5 months ago, she opened her own veterinary clinic with some of her colleagues from the clinic where she used to work. It wasn’t a big clinic, but the business was doing well so far. And of course, that also meant she had to deal with a lot of paperwork and other administration stuff herself since they hadn’t hired that many people in the clinic given it was a start-up after all, thus the long overtime hours lately. But she could hardly complain, it was her dream job after all and everything was worth the efforts.

 

Chloe walked out of the clinic and as she was locking the door, she felt her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled the phone out and saw that it was a text from her boyfriend, Chicago.

 

**We need to talk. – Chicago**

Chloe rolled her eyes, and shoved her phone back into her jean pocket without replying. _So much for a talk, another fight is probably more accurate._ She thought to herself and sighed, starting to walk back to her apartment.

 

She had been dating Chicago for almost 2 years. He was a sergeant in the air force stationed in the New York base. They met when Chicago took his dog to her clinic when she was still an intern and had been dating since then. He wasn’t a very romantic guy but he was caring and had a stable job. Plus, Chloe’s parents liked Chicago a lot, always saying that he was marriage material and had the appearance that many girls would be fighting to gain his attention. Chloe couldn’t argue with that even if she wanted to. Chicago was a very good-looking guy, with a pair of bright blue eyes much like Chloe’s and short brown hair. And his military background had kept him in a good shape, which Chloe couldn’t really complain either. So, it just seemed natural that they were a couple, and Chloe couldn’t see any reason to break up with him. And now here they were, 2 years into a relationship and sharing an apartment in the city. But sometimes she just couldn’t help but feel like something was missing in her life and she just couldn’t figure out what it was. So she tried not to dwell on it, brushing it off as being stressful about work.

 

Speaking of the apartment, it was located on a nice and quiet street in the city. Chloe fell in love with it when she first set foot in it. It was not too large, but not too small either, with a great view of the city. Chloe loved to sit on the window seat at night, with a glass of wine, and just looked down at all the bright lights of the city, at all the cars moving around the roads leaving trails of light. It felt like home to her in this city, somewhere she could go back to after an exhausting day and feel safe and at ease. And after one year of dating Chicago, it felt natural to ask him to move in with her. Chicago wanted her to move into his apartment at first, but Chloe wasn’t willing to leave her apartment, so eventually Chicago agreed to move into her apartment. The clinic was not far from her apartment, a 15-minute walk to be exact, which was also perfect since Chloe loved to wander around the streets in the city. She loved to walk on all the fallen leaves in autumn and the crunchy snow in winter, enjoying the warmth and sunlight in summer and watching everything start to flowering in Spring. She always felt like driving would make it easy for people to neglect the beauty in the world, with everything moving in a faster pace. Therefore, she considered being able to walk to work a blessing, mostly, unless the weather was really bad.

 

Today was one of those bad nights to walk home, given that it was really cold in the middle of November and the piercing cold wind of New York was making Chloe shiver. She hugged her coat closer to her body and increased her pace, but at the same time, she didn’t want to go home to a potential fight waiting for her. She and Chicago started to argue a lot recently. It was mostly about little things actually, from Chloe’s late nights at work, to Chicago forgetting her mother’s birthday dinner. But Chloe knew deep down it was all because of that baby talk they had the other day. They hadn’t talked about marriage or babies much, but they’ve been dating for almost 2 years, and Chloe thought they should at least be on the same page about their potential future together. So the other day, after seeing an adorable little girl in the clinic, she went back home and excitedly mentioned the girl to Chicago. To her disappointment, Chicago told her that he didn’t want kids at all, saying they were too much effort and he wanted a quiet and undisturbed home, just the two of them. Chloe then told him that she would love to have at least two children running around in her future house. But Chicago just laughed at her and continued listing the benefits of living without children. So Chloe shut her mouth and didn’t make further comments on this. Apparently, they wanted different things and that was why she had been upset with him lately. She didn’t know if he would ever change his mind and wanted to talk to him about this again, but with him busy at the air base as always, he didn’t make great efforts in understanding why Chloe had been so upset or trying to work things out.

 

This lack of communication then led to constant arguing, with almost every conversation that they were trying to have turning into a fight. Chicago didn’t like Chloe always worked late at the clinic, he didn’t understand why Chloe was putting this much effort into the clinic. He made good money and Chloe didn’t have to work this hard to support themselves and it was not like veterinarians were like real doctors saving people’s lives. After hearing this, Chloe almost kicked him out of the apartment and didn’t speak to him for 3 whole days. Eventually they made up after Chicago’s constant apologies. But a few days after, they were fighting over another small thing again.

 

Chloe sighed, slowing her pace despite of the freezing weather. She just didn’t know what she was feeling right now. She wasn’t unhappy, she liked to think she was content with her life, I mean how could she not? She was a veterinarian, had her own clinic, made decent money and had a boyfriend for 2 years. Life was stable for her right now and she liked to convince herself that her dislike for changes was because life was pretty good, not because she was afraid of those changes.

 

Lost in her thoughts, she continued to walk and finally noticed that she had walked passed her apartment and was on her way to her favourite park nearby. Deciding she would definitely like to put off this talk with Chicago, she continued her path to the park.

 

Being typical New York, the streets weren’t empty even though it was almost midnight. There were a few people walking around the park, probably taking a midnight walk like herself to clear their minds. And there were still some street artists scattered here and there singing or playing instruments. Chloe stopped once in a while at some tunes that she liked and listened contently. She just loved the vibe in the city like this. It helped calm her down when she was upset or sad, like some people would feel content instantly when they were surrounded by the aroma coming from coffee shops. To her, music was the cure to everything, street music even more so. She loved concerts and theatres and all, but she felt like it was different for street music. The artists usually acted like they didn’t have a care in the world, and the music they played always had so many emotions behind it and Chloe would often tear up whenever she heard something so powerful and touching from those artists. That was also another reason why she loved this park so much. Maybe it was because of the scenery, this park attracted so many talented street musicians to play their music in it. Chicago didn’t share the same passion Chloe had for music, but he didn’t dislike it. He just huffed when Chloe would stop mid-walk whenever she heard something good. He felt like it was a waste of time listening to some nobody playing music in the street. If they were anything good, they wouldn’t be in the streets playing for random people who would probably just ignore them.

 

Chloe was turning around a corner, and suddenly she heard a familiar voice, humming some unknown melody beautifully, while strumming the guitar. She instantly recognized that voice and her heart clenched.

 

 _No, it couldn’t be…it couldn’t be her…could it? She couldn’t be in New York…How could she?_ Chloe’s breath caught in her throat. But that voice...she would recognize that voice from anywhere…

 

So slowly, she looked up to the opposite of the road and could see there was a small crowd gathered around a musician. She couldn’t see who it was because her view was blocked by the crowd. So she took a few deep breaths, and walked towards that direction.

 

The melody became clearer with each step Chloe took and she heard that beautiful voice loud and clear, until she suddenly stopped. Because she could see now, from the space between two people’s shoulders, there stood a small but beautiful brunette, singing an unknown song softly while playing her guitar with her eyes closed. She was wearing a black leather jacket with jeans and boots, her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. While she was singing, there was a ghost of a smile on her lips and her eyelashes would tremble slightly with every stroke she took on her guitar.

 

Chloe froze in the middle of the road, dumbfounded and stared at the brunette musician, suddenly lost all abilities to think or move. But when she somehow realized that the brunette was about to finish her song and open her eyes, she suddenly came into her senses and used all her strengths to run away from her current spot, back to the corner where nobody would see her.

 

It was her.

 

Her first love,

 

Beca Mitchell.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

After fleeing back to the corner where she came from and made sure no one spotted her, Chloe rested her back on the wall and tried to catch her breaths. Her thoughts were everywhere.

 

 _It is her, why is she here, in New York? What is she doing here?_ _How long has she been here anyway?..._ So many questions were running loops in her head, and she was having trouble calming down and clearing her mind. It had been 8 years, 8 years since she last saw the brunette. She suddenly felt a familiar ache in her heart. After so many years, hearing this familiar voice still made her want to smile and cry all at the same time. Those bittersweet and painful memories were started to resurface, triggered by hearing that voice. Chloe shook her head firmly, trying to shake away those feelings. She didn’t spend so many nights crying and trying to forget, only to have those feelings come back just like that.

 

She didn’t know how long she stayed in that corner. But when she finally decided that she was calm enough to go home, she couldn’t help but steal a final glance to where Beca was standing not so long ago. However, there was no one there anymore. _She must have left._ Chloe thought. And there was a feeling she couldn’t describe in her heart. Was it disappointment? Or was it relief? She couldn’t tell. So, with a thoughtful look and still a little shaken, Chloe started to walk back to her apartment. After all, Chicago was still waiting to talk to her.

 

After about 20 minutes, Chloe was finally back at her apartment and found that Chicago was sitting on the couch with a beer, clearly waiting for her. She let out a small sigh and approached him.

 

“Sorry I came home late, had to finish some paperwork at the clinic.”

 

And when she didn’t receive any response other than a hesitant look from Chicago, she frowned,

 

“What’s wrong? What did you want to talk about?”

 

Chicago put down his beer and sighed as well. He hesitated for a moment before looking up at Chloe, and said,

 

“The army wants me back in Europe, I’m supposed to leave next week for a new appointment.”

 

“Oh…” Chloe didn’t know what to say.

 

“So I guess what I’m trying to ask is that will you come with me to Europe?” Chicago added with a hopeful look.

 

“I…” Chloe was at a loss of words, “I…I don’t know…can I at least think about it?”

 

Chicago sighed, “Of course, it’s a big change I know. I’m leaving on next Thursday. So before that, take all the time you need.” And with that, Chicago stood up and went to their bedroom, leaving Chloe standing in the living room with a perplexed face.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Chloe left work early and called her best friend Aubrey to have a late lunch together.

 

At their usual coffee shop, after ordering some food, they started to chat about random stuff at work. Aubrey watched as Chloe absentmindedly stirred her coffee with a thoughtful and unreadable face, and decided to ask the question,

 

“What’s up with you? First a last-minute lunch date, now you just seem distracted.”

 

Chloe looked up at Aubrey’s words and offered her an apologetic smile, “Sorry, Bree, you know I just have a lot on my mind.” She finished with a sigh.

 

“Well you know you can always tell me anything, that’s what best friends are for.” Aubrey said.

 

Chloe smiled a little, “I know, I just… Chicago is about to get transferred to Europe, and last night he asked me to go with him.”

 

“Wow, that’s…” Aubrey was surprised at this, “I don’t know, I mean obviously I’m gonna miss you like crazy if you decide to go with him, but I’m happy for you at the same time. At least that shows he’s serious about your relationship, doesn’t it?”

 

Chloe nodded.

 

“Do you want to go with him?” Aubrey asked.

 

“I don’t know”, Chloe answered honestly, “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I just…” Chloe sighed.

 

Aubrey offered her a sympathetic smile.

 

After a moment of silence, Chloe spoke again, “I saw Beca last night at the park, playing guitar.”

 

Aubrey’s eyes widened, “Beca?! Beca Mitchell?! She’s in New York?!”

 

Chloe nodded, but didn’t say anything.

 

“Well, did you talk to her? What is she doing in New York?” Aubrey asked, still surprised.

 

“No… I was walking in the park and just saw her singing. And before she can see me, I just ran away.” Chloe answered.

 

Aubrey nodded understandingly, “Well, okay… I mean it’s been like what, 8 years? Since you last saw her? How are you feeling?”

 

Chloe offered a sad smile to Aubrey, “Yeah, almost 8 years. And I thought I’ve already buried those complicated feelings deep inside or even got rid of them. But hearing her voice, I just…they all came back…those memories…” Chloe laughed at herself, “Guess I’m just pathetic…”

 

“No, you are not pathetic,” Aubrey reassured the redhead, “It’s normal, trust me.” Aubrey hesitated for a second before adding, “Do you want to maybe try to talk to her if you ever see her again?”

 

Chloe thought about Aubrey’s question for a while, before answering, “Maybe…I mean I could always use one more friend I guess. And things did end quite ugly for us so it might be good to finally be able to fix it, right?” Aubrey nodded, while Chloe continued, “But I still need to figure out whether I want to leave with Chicago. I can’t just throw away a 2-year relationship but you know I don’t believe in long-distance relationship, just look at how well that first one worked out… And my clinic is doing well, I’ve really enjoyed working there and I just…” Chloe was rambling and she sighed, “I don’t know… I feel like I don’t know what I want or how I feel right now.”

 

Aubrey sighed, reaching for Chloe’s hand that was resting on the table, “That’s ok, Chlo, most people don’t know what they want or what they are doing in their life, you just need to listen to your heart and try to figure out what is more important to you right now and then you’ll know the answers to all your questions.”

 

Chloe smiled, “Thanks Bree… But I hope I figure this out soon because Chicago is leaving on next Thursday.”

 

“So soon? That’s tough… hey, I just want you to know that whatever you decide, I’ll always support you and you’re not getting rid of me even if you are all the way in Europe!” Aubrey joked.

 

“Of course! And you are not getting rid of me either!” Chloe laughed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca Mitchell woke up in her bed with a groan and checked her phone. It was 11am. After her shift at the bar from 12am to 4am, she would usually go home for some sleep and then she had to leave again for her other job at a restaurant to play the piano or the guitar to entertain the diners from 6pm to 10pm. Then, between 10pm and 12am, since she usually had her guitar with her, she would use this 2-hour break to find a spot in the street and play her music. The restaurant didn’t allow her to play her own songs, saying they were incompatible to the vibe in the restaurant. So she had to use the street as the stage for her own music and the passers-by as her audience. Plus, some of them would even leave some changes in her guitar case, so hey, who would say no to some extra cash?

 

So that had basically become her routine since she moved to New York 3 months ago. She always thought she had talent and would eventually break into the music industry, at least that was what someone used to tell her. But it hadn’t happened so far and she was not so sure about her talent anymore. She moved to New York after spending 5 years in LA with no luck. So, she hoped a change of environment would be good for her creativity and potential career. But her situation in New York seemed to be no different than in LA, or maybe even worse. At least in LA, she was working in a record label as a casual staff in administration, in charging of scheduling, getting lunch orders and so on. It wasn’t ideal, but at least she was close to what she wanted to do. However, after that incident, she didn’t need to think twice to leave that job and buy a one-way ticket to New York.

 

 _That incident._ Beca scoffed at herself. She needed to stop thinking about that. What she needed was to focus on her music and hoped that someday someone would notice her. And it had to happen soon because she was starting to lose faith. She can’t keep living like this, working two jobs and playing music in the streets. It may be cute and fun for some young artist, but after so many years being unnoticed, maybe it was just because she was never good enough.

 

Beca sighed, starting to get up. She still had a few hours before she had to leave for the restaurant, so she would find something to eat and then hopefully finish that song she had been writing recently.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Beca just finished her gig at the restaurant and was packing her stuff when she heard her phone ring in her bag. She went to look at it and saw it was a text from Luke, another street musician she met a few weeks ago.

 

**Hey Becky, how was the gig? Did you check out the place I told you that is perfect to play your music?  – Luke**

Beca rolled her eyes, and relied,

 

**It’s Beca! How many times do I need to tell you my name?! But yeah, I went there yesterday, it was quite nice and more people stopped to listen, so I made more cash than I did at other places. Thx for letting me know.  – Beca**

A few seconds later, another reply from Luke came in,

 

**You’re welcome! By the way, that place is very popular among street artists and one has to literally battle for a spot! But my spot is yours from now on! You can go there every night because I have a better spot in the city now! ;)  – Luke**

Beca laughed and typed out a reply,

 

**Dude, no need to brag ok?! But thanks, and don’t worry, I’ll use your spot wisely!  – Beca**

Luke’s reply came instantly,

 

**You better! I might drop by sometimes to check up on you! – Luke**

Beca smiled and put her phone away. It was 10:10pm, she decided she would go back to Luke’s spot in the park and play a few of her songs, before she had to go to her shift at the bar as a bartender.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe was on her way home at 11pm, after another long day at work. Chicago was leaving in 4 days and was still waiting for her answer, but she barely had time to think about this with so many things to attend to at work. So, she was glad she could use this 15 minutes’ walk home to at least clear a few things up in her mind.

 

In the morning, although Chicago said he would give her time to think about this, she could see he was getting impatient with all the time she took. Apparently for him, one sleep was enough for her to decide she wanted to go with him. Chloe rolled her eyes at the thought of this, and couldn’t stop replaying his words from this morning in her head.

 

_“Why are you hesitating? I thought you’ve always wanted to go to Europe, to Paris, Rome and Barcelona?”_

_“Well yeah, I want to travel to those places for sightseeing, but this is about living there for years! I need to consider if that’s something that I want.” Chloe countered._

_“Okay…” Chicago said, a little frustrated, “And if this is about your job, I just want you to know that you don’t even have to work there! You can just go wandering around the cities all day and do some sightseeing. That’s what you love isn’t it? And if you want, there will be other veterinary jobs in Europe anyway, it’s not like it’s some important job and you can’t be replaced in this clinic.”_

_Chloe couldn’t believe his words. So that’s how he felt about her passion, her dream job? All this time he just thought her job was something like a hobby? After hearing this, Chloe just grabbed her bag and stormed out of the apartment without saying a word._

 

Chloe sighed, she knew deep down she didn’t really want to move away from New York, at least not in the recent few years. And living in Europe with Chicago just…didn’t feel right somehow. But Chloe also knew that if she said no, she would have to have a good reason to give to Chicago and think about what that meant for their relationship.

 

_This thing is just a whole big mess._ Chloe thought. And when she was near her apartment, she hesitated to just walk in. Something in her stomach just kept tugging at her, and before she knew it, she was walking towards the park again.

 

Part of her wanted to see if Beca was still there, and part of her wished Beca wasn’t there at the same time. And her heart beat faster when she thought of what she was going to do if Beca was indeed there. But she decided to not think about this and tried to tell herself she was just curious, and nothing more.

 

After another 15-minute walk, she arrived at the corner from yesterday. After taking in a deep breath, she turned the corner and saw that the brunette musician was there, with a small crowd around her, just like yesterday.

 

Chloe took a few steps closer in order to hear what the musician was singing. She found herself a spot behind the crowd so that the brunette wouldn’t spot her and listened quietly. It was a song that she never heard of, but knowing the brunette’s talent, she knew it was probably a song that was written by herself.

 

_All my little plans and schemes_

_Lost like some forgotten dream_

_Seems like all I really was doing_

_Was waiting for you_

_Just like little girls and boys_

_Playing with their little toys_

_Seems like all we really were doing_

_Was waiting for love_

_Don't need to be alone_

_Don't need to be alone_

_It's real love_

_It's real_

_It's real love_

_It's real_ _—_

 

Chloe couldn’t listen to it anymore, she turned around and began to walk back, eyes filled with tears. She tried to calm herself down after turning that corner, angrily wiping the tears that fell down her cheeks. She shouldn’t be crying, she shouldn’t be feeling anything anymore. But here she was, leaning on the wall and just couldn’t stop the tears from falling down.

 

 

_9 years ago…_

_“You have a lovely voice!”_

_Beca stopped playing her guitar in the music room of her high school and looked up at the owner of that perky voice. A redheaded girl was leaning on the door frame with the brightest smile she had ever seen._

_“What were you singing? I’ve never heard that song before.”_

_“Oh, it’s just… something that I wrote.” Beca shrugged._

_The redheaded girl’s eyes widened at this, “Really?!! That was so beautiful!! You are very talented you know?”_

_Beca didn’t know what to do with the sudden compliment, so she just shrugged again._

_The redhead didn’t seem to be discouraged by the brunette’s rather cold responses. She bounced closer to Beca and sat in a chair near her, beaming at her. Beca blushed at the sudden closeness and awkwardly looked down and fidgeted with her guitar._

_“It’s so cool that you can play the guitar so well! I’ve always wanted to learn but…” The redhead sighed, admiring Beca’s acoustic guitar._

_Beca looked up, and before she knew it, she was saying, “If you want, I can teach you.” Then, she mentally kicked herself for saying that. Where did that comment come from? Why would someone want to take guitar lessons from a random stranger?_

_But to her surprise, the redhead gasped and squealed, “Really?!!!! You would do that?!”_

_Beca looked at her, unsure, “Yeah, sure. Why not?”_

_“Oh my God! That’s awesome!!!” And then Beca was tackled by a bear hug from the redhead. She wondered for a moment if the guitar sitting between them was hurting the redhead, but then the redhead pulled back with an even wider smile. “I’m Chloe.” She said._

_“Beca.”_

Chloe finally calmed down from her mini breakdown at that street corner. After wiping all those tears, she laughed at herself. _This is just pathetic Beale, after all these years, you still cry over her. She didn’t even know you were there for god’s sake!_ She scolded herself in her mind and started walking home. There was a bigger life changing decision still waiting for her to make, she didn’t have time for this.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is Real Love by Tom Odell.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chloe couldn’t stop staring at Beca when she played the guitar. Eventually the brunette had to speak, “Why are you staring at me?”_

_Chloe tried to hide her blush, “I wasn’t staring, I was just watching how your fingers move and trying to learn!”_

_Beca smirked, “You wasn’t even looking at my fingers, okay? You just stared at my face Beale!”_

_Chloe’s cheeks were now in a deep red colour, “Well you are just really cute when you play the guitar okay?! I didn’t mean to stare!”_

_Now it was Beca’s turn to blush a little. She cleared her throat, and said “Well, my lunch break is almost over, do you want to learn this song or not?”_

_“Of course, I won’t stare anymore I promise!”_

_“Well if you want to stare at me, you can do it at another time, but not at our guitar lessons okay? I take teaching very seriously and I want my students to actually learn something instead of drooling over their teacher.” Beca smirked again._

_“What do you mean…” Chloe trailed off, confused but at the same time nervous for some unknown reason._

_“I mean if you want, we can go out for dinner on Friday after school, so that you can continue to stare at me.” Beca said, pretending to fidget with her guitar again._

_“Are you…are you asking me out on a date?” Chloe asked unsurely. She couldn’t believe it, Beca Mitchell just asked her out on a date?!! Was this real life? She wanted to make sure before she went jumping up and down in the music room._

_“Well, yeah…I mean only if you want to… but it’s totally cool if you don’t want to, we can forget that I just said that, and just continue to have our guitar lessons every week… Actually I’m sorry…I don’t really know why I said that, I just thought it would be great if we could hang out some other time than the guitar lessons…and I don’t know, I thought maybe we can spend more time together because_ _—”_

_“Oh my God stop!” Chloe giggled and cut Beca off. She couldn’t believe how cute Beca could get when she was all nervous and went on full rambling mode. “Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you.” Chloe grinned._

_“Yeah?” Beca grinned as well._

_“Yeah.” Chloe leaned in to kiss Beca on the cheek, “Now show me how to play this verse, Miss Mitchell!”_

 

Chloe fluttered her eyes open. Another dream about Beca, another dream from old memories. She sighed and sat up in the bed. Chicago left early already, so she was alone in the apartment. It was her day off, which she so desperately needed and she thought she could use this time to really think about Chicago’s proposition.

 

She slowly got up to go to the kitchen and made coffee for herself while still yawning a little. When she was waiting, she put her hands on the kitchen counter and supported herself, staring blankly outside through the window, lost in thoughts.

 

 

_“What do you want to do when you graduate?” Chloe was playing with Beca’s fingers while they were lying on the grass in the backyard of Chloe’s house. They had been dating for 2 months and Chloe had never felt so happy in her entire life. Sometimes she would wonder if all of this was just a dream because she got to call Beca Mitchell her girlfriend._

_“I want to write a lot of songs and I want people to hear me sing them. And I don’t know, maybe even be a music producer as well so that I can help other artists make music.” Beca said without any hesitation._

_Chloe smiled at this, “You will, you are so talented you know? Don’t ever doubt that and you’ll cause an earthquake in the music industry I’m sure!”_

_Beca laughed and turned her head to look at Chloe, “You think so? I don’t think your opinion is very fair since you are my girlfriend and my number one fan after all. Are you sure you are not biased?”_

 

_Chloe’s heart still fluttered at hearing Beca call her as her girlfriend, “Hey I’m not biased okay? I know a lot of things so just trust me on this! You’ll be super big in the music industry one day and I’ll have to punch away so many girls that are trying to get close to you!”_

_Beca giggled, “Punch away huh? Never thought you are this violent Beale. Do I need to be careful around you from now on so you wouldn’t beat me as well?”_

_Chloe laughed and shoved playfully on Beca’s shoulder. Beca caught Chloe’s hand and brought it to her lips, grinning. “You know I only have eyes for you babe.”_

_Chloe blushed, “Shut up.” She muttered but failed to hide her huge grin._

_“So, what about you? What do you want to do after graduation?” Beca intertwined her fingers with Chloe’s and rested them on her stomach._

_“I’ve always wanted to become a veterinarian since I was 8. So, I guess I’ll go to vet school after graduation and go from there.” Chloe answered._

_“Vet school huh? That’s so cool and so you.” Beca couldn’t stop giggling._

_“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chloe demanded._

_“I mean, it basically means being with all kinds of cute animals 24/7, doesn’t it? That’s perfect for you. And I’m not sure you choose this job because you want to be helping animals, or you just want to use this job as an excuse to be as close as you can get to all the animals.” Beca explained while chuckling._

_Chloe faked being offended, “How dare you think of me like this?! You are the worst girlfriend ever!”_

_Beca laughed even harder, “I’m sorry, but it’s just the harsh truth babe. And I’m worried! Are you going to start bringing all those strayed cats or dogs back to our home when you are a veterinarian? Because I’m not sure I can handle more than one cat or one dog!”_

_Chloe couldn’t help but swooned over hearing Beca mention ‘their home’, and she smiled softly at the thought of having a home with Beca in the future._

 

_Beca took the silence as Chloe was considering this idea and pretended to be terrified, “Oh my God, you are totally thinking about bringing home cats and dogs, aren’t you?! Dr. Beale! You can’t do that to me you know?!”_

_Chloe laughed and pulled her hand out of Beca’s grip, starting to use it to tickle her girlfriend. Beca squealed and tried to move out of the way but was tackled by Chloe again. And the entire backyard echoed with their laughter, in that late June evening._

Chloe smiled at the memory and was suddenly brought back to reality when she was startled by the beeping noise from the coffee machine, indicating that the coffee was ready. Chloe dropped the smile she didn’t even realize she was sporting and went to the cabinet to retrieve a mug.

 

After pouring herself a full cup of coffee, she went to sit at the kitchen island and sipped her coffee slowly. She looked around her kitchen and there was just a vague feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t shake.

 

Chloe was a romantic, but she didn’t really need or care about those big gestures like skywriting or something like that. She didn’t need the whole world to know their love, she preferred those everyday romantic gestures anyway, like holding hands, cuddling, breakfast-in-bed once in a while, a candle-lit dinner and so many more. Unfortunately, Chicago didn’t have this romantic side. But Chloe learnt to have peace at this and she knew that her thoughts can be childish. After all, this was real life, not some rom-com or some cheesy movie. But occasionally, she still wondered if it was possible, that there was a person out there, that could be all that, holding her hands all the time, kissing her under the stars, fulfilling all her unrealistic romantic imaginations.

 

She sighed, almost finishing her coffee. She looked around her kitchen again and suddenly had a realization. This sudden enlightenment made her almost drop her coffee mug.

 

Chloe always had those perfect pictures in her head, something can be seen as screenshots of her future self. One of them is a picture of her dancing and singing in the kitchen with a spatula, and her partner would be sitting on the kitchen stool laughing at her. The other one related to the kitchen is of her and her partner dancing in the evening around the kitchen while waiting for something to bake in the oven. And there were so many more of these kinds of pictures in her head that she would want to be able to actual do in the future.

 

But none of those pictures had Chicago in them.

 

And then it hit Chloe that all this time, she had been trying to decide whether to move and live in Europe, instead of deciding whether to move and live in Europe **with Chicago**.


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe was waiting nervously in the restaurant for Chicago. She had made her decision and her answer was no. Although it pained her to do so, she knew she had to break it off with Chicago. After that sudden realization in the kitchen the other day, she knew she had been sleep walking in her love life all these years and she didn’t want to continue to settle. She wanted to search for that person that would love her with all their heart and that she would love back just as much, a person who would appear in all her perfect pictures of her future self and she wanted to know without a doubt that that was the person she would want to spend the rest of her life with.

 

So today was the day. She had to break up with Chicago.

 

Chicago called earlier and told her that he had made a reservation at this chic restaurant which apparently was quite popular lately, saying that he had something he wanted to talk to her about.

 

Chloe was getting impatient, she didn’t want to postpone doing this. Chicago was leaving in 2 days and she didn’t want to wait until the last day to tell him.

 

Just when she took out her phone and was about to text Chicago to ask where he was, he appeared in front of her, holding a bunch of roses. Chloe was a little taken aback by the sudden romantic gesture from her boyfriend. Chicago barely gave her flowers, so she accepted the roses even though her favourite flower was daffodil.

 

Chloe wasn’t sure what to say to Chicago, she was still confused looking at those roses. So she just sat there quietly when Chicago ordered for them. After the waiter left, Chicago turned his attention back to Chloe.

 

“You look nice tonight.” He said.

 

“Thanks. You look nice as well.” Chloe offered him a small smile.

 

While they were eating their dinner, Chloe was contemplating on how to bring up the whole breakup talk. She felt it was beginning to be difficult to do so especially when Chicago was being romantic and sweet all of a sudden. So, she sighed, starting to think if she should break up with him after they were back home instead of doing it in the restaurant.

 

Just when she was deep in her conflicting thoughts, Chicago broke the silence, “Hey it’s 6pm, I heard they have a really good pianist that would come and play the piano from this time every night, and she sometimes even plays the guitar. I know guitar is your favourite instrument, right?” 

 

Chole smiled, and nodded, turning her attention to the giant piano located in the middle of the restaurant. And true to Chicago’s words, there was a light turned on above the piano, indicating the performance was about to begin.

 

Chloe absentmindedly poked at her dessert while waiting to see who was going to be playing the piano. Her eyes widened upon seeing a familiar figure walking slowly towards the piano, carrying a guitar case as well.

 

Of course it was Beca Mitchell.

 

Of course it would be her.

 

She seemed to be appearing everywhere Chloe went lately apparently.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Fortunately, Chloe and Chicago’s table was not directly in front of the piano so Beca didn’t see them on her way to the piano. Chloe let out a trembling breath and prayed Beca wouldn’t spot her. Now she just wanted to finish everything and go home, not wanting to risk being in the same room with Beca.

 

She wasn’t trying to avoid the brunette, okay maybe she was, but it was just because she didn’t know how to face her. She didn’t know what to say or how to act around her. Until she knew how to deal with her feelings, she wouldn’t consider talking to the brunette again. And for God’s sake, she still had to break up with Chicago!

 

_God this whole thing is seriously stressing me out!_ Chloe tried to calm herself down and took deep breaths, while trying to finish her dessert quickly so that she could go home already!

 

Beca started playing, and Chloe recognized she was playing one of Chopin’s nocturnes. She tried not to focus too much on the melody, yet she just couldn’t help herself but listen with all her heart.

 

She had heard Beca play this nocturne before, back when they were dating. But this time it was different. It was sad, sadder even, but still as beautiful and magical as ever. Chloe felt so much in the melody, so many mixed emotions expressed though all those music notes, and it was the perfect expression of this nocturne. Chloe had stopped eating her dessert and just stared into nothingness, feeling herself getting immersed in this sad but graceful melody.

 

After the nocturne was finished, she saw a man who looked like a manger came up to Beca and said something to her. The brunette pianist nodded and prepared to play the next piece.

 

She was so focused on Beca and failed to notice that Chicago had left his seat and started to walk towards her, kneeling down. She couldn’t move her eyes away from Beca, because the brunette started to play her favourite song, _Photograph by Ed Sheeran_.

 

It wasn’t until she heard Chicago calling her name quite loudly that she snapped her eyes back to him and nearly fell off her chair. Because Chicago was kneeling down in front of her, holding an engagement ring and looking up at her with a grin.

 

People sitting at other tables around them started to notice them and a few of the girls gasped quite loudly and some even took out their phones to start filming. Chloe was panicking, this was not how she imagined this night would go and she felt like she was on the verge of fainting right on the spot. And then suddenly there was a jarring note coming from the piano that drew everyone’s attention away from the pair.

 

Chloe cringed at the harsh slip-up and looked up at the piano’s direction out of instinct.

 

And just like that, her baby blue eyes met those stormy blue eyes the first time in 8 years.

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Let’s get one thing straight. Beca Mitchell never made mistakes during her performances. She never forgot her lyrics, never messed up the notes. Never. Not even once. That was until, now.

 

When the manager approached her, and told her she needed to play that song for some guy who was about to propose to his girlfriend, she internally rolled her eyes. Proposing in public, she always thought it was a way to pressure the other to accept the proposal. But she started to play that song anyway. It was her job after all and she hadn’t played that song in a long time. It reminded her of a certain someone from the past, and she had been avoiding it for so long.

 

She usually wouldn’t get distracted mid-performance, but when she heard those loud gasps coming from her right side, she couldn’t help but become curious and wonder the girlfriend’s reaction regarding the proposal. So she turned her head a little to her right and tried to steal a glance.

 

And then she saw her. She saw that fierce red hair, that cute little nose, those pair of soft hands that she used to hold countless times.

 

_Chloe._

_No. Way._

She was at shock and suddenly lost control over her fingers, accidentally pressing the wrong keys and there came a jarring noise. But she didn’t care, because Chloe’s head snapped up at the noise and their eyes locked.

 

God, those eyes. Beca didn’t think she would ever see them again.

 

But she quickly snapped out of her trance and forced herself to look back at the keys in front of her, continuing to finish what was left of the song, while her heart beat wildly in her chest.

 

_Chloe. It’s really Chloe. She stayed in New York all these years? And she…she’s being proposed to by her boyfriend…_ Beca suddenly felt an urge to cry, but she pulled herself together and tried to finish this damn song for the proposal. However, she knew she didn’t care about the performance anymore and her hands were even trembling a little. She just wanted to get it over with and she wondered if Chloe was going to say yes to the question.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chicago was still waiting, kneeling on the floor and looking up expectantly at his girlfriend. However, Chloe did find the situation a bit funny, she didn’t even catch his speech or his question! Seeing Chloe’s hesitation, Chicago decided to push a little and asked the question again, “Chloe, will you marry me and come to Europe with me?”

 

Chloe instantly tensed at hearing this. She could hear the song had ended and she could feel Beca’s eyes on her, as well as all the other people’s in the restaurant.

 

_This is why I hate public proposals so much._ Chloe cringed a little and tried to think of a response.

 

Obviously, she couldn’t say yes. But she couldn’t straight up say no as well, because that would just humiliate both of them right there in front of everyone.

 

Therefore, the best solution she could think of is to whisper into Chicago’s ear, asking him if they could leave this place and go home to talk. Chicago looked confused but he nodded, stood up, paid the bills and left with Chloe in tow.

 

When Chloe walked out of the restaurant, she didn’t look back at Beca. And the other diners just shrugged and resumed their dinner, leaving Beca staring at the entrance long after Chloe had left.

 

She wanted to go out there and run after Chloe. But she knew she had lost the right to do so. She didn’t even have the right to feel hurt when Chloe didn’t look at her when she left.

 

So she just sighed and went back to playing the piano for the rest of the evening.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Once they were back home, Chicago turned to look at Chloe, waiting for an explanation.

 

Chloe sighed, and went to sit down on the couch. She ran her hand through her hair and finally gathered her courage to do this, “I don’t think it’s working out Chicago.”

 

Chicago was confused, “What’s not working out?”

 

“Us. I think we should take a break.” Chloe said, letting out a shattered breath.

 

“What?” Chicago said incredulously, “Why? Is it because you don’t want to come to Europe with me?”

 

“No, not exactly. It’s about so many other things as well. I just don’t feel like it’s working out and I don’t want to hold you back. You deserve someone who loves you with all their heart.”

 

Chicago was silent for a moment. “So that’s it? We are done? Just like that?”

 

Chloe was trying her best to fight back her tears, “I’m so sorry Chicago, I should have done this sooner. I guess I just thought I could love you and give you all my heart if I just give it a little more time or if I just try a little harder. But clearly that’s not how love works. I enjoyed our time together and I love your company, but I just feel like I couldn’t keep lying to myself and it’s not fair to you either.” At that, silent tears finally started rolling down Chloe’s cheeks.

 

Chicago stared at Chloe for a while and eventually let out a heavy sigh, “It’s okay Chloe…”

 

“No it’s not okay, I’m so sorry, I’m such a horrible person.” Chloe shook her head violently, and she couldn’t look at Chicago anymore.

 

Chicago moved to the couch and sat down next to Chloe. He looked at the snuffling redhead sadly and spoke, “Really, Chloe, it’s okay. I’m upset but I’ll get over it.” He thought for a few seconds, and added, “I can feel you were trying Chloe, but I know you are not in love with me. I guess asking you to marry me and move to Europe with me was my own way of trying to convince myself that you’ll fall in love with me with a little more time and efforts. But…I understand.”

 

Chloe looked up at him, tears still falling down her face, “Why are you so good to me?”

 

Chicago offered her a sad smile, “Because, you deserve the best love Chloe, we all do. And I’m kind of glad you did what’s best for us.” He reached out to wipe a few tears from Chloe’s face and sighed, “You are still in love with her, aren’t you?”

 

Chloe froze, “Who?” She asked in a trembling voice.

 

“That girl from your high school? The one who gave you that guitar?” Chicago pointed at the guitar resting in the corner of the living room beside the bookshelf.

 

Chloe shook her head, “No,” She said, “I’m not.”

 

Chicago sighed, “Okay… just… take care of yourself Chloe. And I hope we can still be friends? You’ll visit me when you come to Europe?”

 

Chloe managed a small smile, “Of course I’ll visit. You take care of yourself as well.”

 

Chicago nodded, “I will. My stuff is all packed in my car already. And don’t worry I’ll stay in my office for tonight and tomorrow night. My flight leaves first thing in the morning the day after anyway.”

 

Chloe felt bad, “Chicago you don’t have to—”

 

Chicago cut her off and stood up, “That’s okay, Chloe. I’m okay with it.”

 

Chloe then decided, “Is it okay if I still come to see you off at the airport?”

 

Chicago smiled a little, “Of course.” And with that, he fished out his apartment keys and placed them on the coffee table before he left.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Beca walked into the bar that night with a miserable face.

 

“Whoa, what happened to the big BM? Did some child climb onto your lap again at the restaurant?” Fat Amy joked when she saw Beca’s face from behind the counter.

 

“Nothing.” Beca muttered and went to put her stuff down.

 

“Well it’s definitely not nothing.” Jesse poked his head out from his office, “But I have something to cheer you up!”

 

Beca looked up at him, uninterested.

 

Jesse was the manager of this bar and Fat Amy was the other bartender who came all the way from Australia. Beca managed to find this job shortly after she arrived in New York, and after basically seeing those two every day for three months, they had become quite close friends. Well, technically, it was Fat Amy that practically coerced Beca into sharing her life stories and being friends with them, and okay, Beca had to admit that she was a little afraid of the Australian at first given all her wild stories and her enormous strength. Anyway, although Beca never told them this, she was actually glad that she was able to find two good friends here, and it made her heart feel a little bit warmer in this cold weather of New York City.

 

Jesse rolled his eyes and walked out of his office, “The former bar singer quit this morning, so the boss said I can find a new singer myself. Apparently, he trusts my music tastes now.” He added with a smug grin.

 

“Get to the point Jesse!” Beca deadpanned, taking off her jacket and trying to change into her bartender outfit. She wouldn’t want some drunk to spill drinks all over her good jacket.

 

“The point is,” Jesse stopped Beca from putting away her jacket, “You are getting a promotion. No more bartending, you are officially the bar singer from now on.”

 

Beca’s eyes widened at hearing this, “What? Seriously?! … Dude! Are you messing with me?!”

 

Jesse just grinned, “Nope, I’m 100% serious. You are starting tonight, but from tomorrow, your shift will begin from 10pm until 4am. And the pay is doubled.”

 

Beca didn’t know what to say. She surged forward and hugged Jesse tight, “Thank you so much dude! I promise I won’t let you down!”

 

Jesse was a little surprised that he was able to receive a rare hug from the brunette, so he happily hugged Beca back and laughed, “I know you won’t, you are too talented for this bar anyway. I was worried you wouldn’t accept it in the first place.”

 

Beca pulled back, “Are you kidding me? At this point, I’ll accept anything! As long as there are people willing to hear my music!”

 

Jesse laughed again but frowned a little, “Don’t lose faith Beca, someone will notice you, you know.”

 

Beca smiled, “Yeah yeah, I’ve heard that before. Thanks Jesse.”

 

Fat Amy chimed in, “Man I’m jealous, double pay! I wish I could write songs.”

 

Beca smirked, “Drinks on me tonight Amy.”

 

Fat Amy rolled her eyes, “Seriously? I’m the bartender Beca, I can give myself free drinks!”

 

“Whatever, I offered, you didn’t want to take it and that’s not my fault!” Beca smirked again.

 

Fat Amy threw a piece of lime at her, which missed its target. “But seriously, what was that face earlier? Oh, I know, did someone demand you play something silly again?”

 

Beca’s smile wavered a little, “Chloe happened.” She sighed.

 

Fat Amy’s eyes widened, “Chloe? Chloe Beale? Your first girlfriend?! The one that you were trying to propose to but instead she broke up with you, that Chloe?”

 

Beca cringed at Fat Amy’s loud voice, “In her defence, she didn’t know I was going to propose…but yeah, that Chloe.”

 

Fat Amy shot her a sympathetic look, but decided she should drop the topic for now, “Hey, but on the bright side, you get to sing more from now on! Isn’t that great!”

 

Beca smiled at this, “Yeah, it is. So let’s get cracking, shall we?”

 

Since Beca became the bar singer now, she wouldn’t have time to drop by the park to sing anymore. So she texted Luke and let him know. Luke was also happy about Beca’s new job. He assured her to not worry and that he would find someone else or even drop by the park himself once in a while to make sure that spot wouldn’t be taken up by someone random.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been nearly a month since Chicago left. But to be honest, Chloe didn’t feel that much of a change. She was still busy with the clinic, having regular lunch dates with Aubrey and taking walks around the city. The only difference was that she would sometimes wonder about Beca. Knowing the brunette was in New York now, Chloe couldn’t stop wondering where she was or what she was doing. And several times she had to make serious efforts to stop herself from walking towards the park subconsciously after work.

 

This time, she was sitting on the couch after a long day at work, trying to pick something to watch on Hulu while eating takeout, and Chicago’s words decided to come back into her mind again.

 

_“You are still in love with her, aren’t you?”_

Chloe groaned, shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts. _She’s not still in love with Beca. It’s been 8 years. How can one be in love with another person without even seeing them once in so long? That’s ridiculous, right?_

_Right._ She thought to herself and continued to go through her Hulu channels. But her eyes started to drift to that stupid guitar sitting in the corner of her living room.

 

Eventually, she just gave up, going over to grab that guitar before sitting back down.

 

She stared at the guitar and couldn’t stop thinking about that night before she had to leave to go to NYU…

 

 

_She was lying on the hood of her car with Beca, looking up at the stars. Tomorrow Chloe had to leave for NYU. She got into the vet school there and would start in fall. However, Beca decided not to go to college even though she had an impeccable GPA as well. She managed to get a one-year internship at Atlanta Record Label and thought she should focus on her music instead of college._

_They understood each other’s choices and couldn’t be prouder of each other, but that didn’t stop them from being sad that they would be separating at least for a year._

_“You know long distance relationship works all the time. I have faith in us.” Chloe said after a while of comfortable silence._

_Beca hummed, taking Chloe’s hand and intertwined their fingers._

_“I’ll fly back every holiday and if you are not happy with the internship after a year, you can come to New York. There are many opportunities there as well. But you’ll shine anywhere you go so it doesn’t really matter where it is. I’ll also try to take more courses every semester so that I can graduate early. And if you want to go to LA, then we’ll go together_ _—”_

_Beca squeezed Chloe’s hand and cut her off, “Don’t stress yourself out by taking more courses Chlo, you’ll probably drive that pretty little head of yours crazy.”_

_Chloe giggled, “No I won’t, I’m very smart you know.”_

_Beca laughed, “And very modest apparently.”_

_Chloe smiled, and just as she opened her mouth to say something else, a song came up on the radio from the car. Chloe perked up at hearing this and jumped down to turn the volume up in the car, while squealing excitedly, “Oh my God! This is my favourite song!”_

_Beca laughed at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm and realized that it was Ed Sheeran’s Photograph._

_“Come on Becs,” Chloe was tugging at Beca’s hand, “Come down and dance with me!”_

_Beca protested, “Nope Chlo, I don’t dance.”_

_Chloe rolled her eyes and slightly pouted, “Don’t be a child Beca, we are up in the hills and there are no one around, just me. And I promise I won’t laugh at you or tell anyone that you dance to ruin your street cred.” She added with a sly smile._

_Beca rolled her eyes, trying to act reluctant, but secretly she knew she couldn’t resist her girlfriend’s pout, “Alright, alright! But don’t complain when I step on your toes Beale!”_

_Chloe grinned and eagerly jumped into Beca’s arms. And they started dancing to the soft melody, lost in each other eyes._

_..._

_When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me_  
Under the lamppost back on Sixth street  
Hearing you whisper through the phone,  
"Wait for me to come home."

_The song ended. And they stopped moving, just staring at each other intently. Beca looked into Chloe’s tearful eyes, “We are going to be okay.” She said softly to Chloe._

_Chloe nodded, looking down briefly and trying very hard not to cry._

_Beca brought a hand up to tuck a loose strand of red locks behind Chloe’s ear, “I love you,” She whispered, “You know that, right?”_

_Chloe snapped her head up in surprise, and couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. It was the first time Beca told her she loved her. She could feel it before, but it was different hearing Beca actually say it._

_“I love you too.” Chloe whispered back, grinning widely._

_Beca leaned in to place a kiss on Chloe’s lips, and when Chloe tried to deepen the kiss, Beca suddenly pulled back._

_“Wait, I want you to have something.” She said._

_“What is it?” Chloe asked._

_“Wait here!”_

_Chloe nodded and watched Beca run back to her car and pull her guitar case out._

_When Beca walked back with the guitar case and a huge grin, a sudden realization hit Chloe._

_“Oh my God! No way! You want me to have your guitar?!”_

_“No silly, I just want you to have my empty guitar case…” Beca teased the redhead, “Of course I want you to have my guitar! It’s the one that I taught you with, the acoustic one that you liked so much. And don’t worry I have other guitars. I just want you to have something from me that can remind you of me all the time when you are in New York you know.”_

_Chloe teared up again and smiled at Beca, “I’m always thinking about you.” She kissed Beca, “I love you.”_

_Beca smiled into the kiss, “I love you too Chlo. And check the back of the guitar, I made an engraving just for you.”_

Chloe turned the acoustic guitar around, there was a line of cursive words saying:

_To my favourite redhead: I love you. Always._

 

A single tear fell on the back of the guitar and Chloe stroked the words with her fingers. She put down the guitar, and went to grab her coat and her keys. She was going to the park.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know the timeline doesn't really match for Photograph to be Chloe's favourite song when she was still in high school, since the song was released in 2014. I just really want to use those lyrics. So… let's just pretend it's a really old song, or it's actually 2022 right now, okay? Okay, Cool :D


	8. Chapter 8

Chloe’s heart was beating very fast in her chest. _What am I doing? What am I going to say to her when I see her?_ A thousand scenarios went through her mind and she started to panic a little when she got closer to Beca’s spot. She wanted to turn around and go back but she just couldn’t stop her own legs from moving closer to Beca.

 

When she turned that corner, she was a little disappointed but also a little relieved to see a blond man standing there singing instead of Beca. She checked her phone, it was 11:20pm. The last two times that she saw Beca there were around similar time.

 

_Maybe she’ll come later?_ She thought and decided to wait for a while.

 

Honestly, she had no idea what she was doing at all. She wasn’t even sure why she was waiting for Beca. What could she say to her? It wasn’t like they could just pick up where they had left off and just hang out like some old friends.

 

Chloe let out a breath and checked the time again, 11:50pm. It didn’t seem like Beca would show up after all. Therefore, Chloe gave a last look at the blond musician before leaving and going back home.

 

 

* * *

 

 

For the next five days, Chloe went back to that spot every night. But Beca never came. She started to panic.

 

_Is that it? The brunette just disappeared in her life again for good? Then why did she show up in the first place after all these years?!_ And this time, Chloe would really have no ways of contacting her ever again. For real. Last time it was more like by choice. But this time, it was for real. This thought terrified Chloe and she started to feel a little bit of regret in the pit of her stomach. Why? She didn’t really want to know.

 

On the sixth night, Chloe went to the spot again and was greeted by the blond musician, same as the previous five nights. She still waited for a while and when she finally accepted that Beca wasn’t going to show up, she sighed and started to walk back to her apartment. However, she stopped after a few steps and turned around again, looking back at the blond musician with hesitant eyes.

 

After a heated internal battle, she decided to just try her luck. So, she approached the blond musician cautiously. When the blond noticed her, he stopped playing his guitar and greeted her with a smile.

 

“Hello,” he said with an English accent, “I’ve noticed that you’ve been here every night for almost a week! What can I do for you?”

 

Chloe blushed slightly, and there she thought she was being subtle before and no one would even notice her.

 

“I…actually I…I want to a…ask…” Chloe stuttered. _Since when she can’t even form a normal sentence?!_ She internally scolded herself and cleared her throat before continuing, “Actually I just want to ask, do you happen to know the girl musician that used to play here a while ago? Her name is Beca Mitchell.”

 

Chloe rushed that sentence and let out a breath in relief, looking up at the blond guy and waiting for his answer.

 

The musician’s eyes lit up at Beca’s name. “Becky?! Yes! Of course I know her! Are you from a record label? I can give you her contact number!” He said excitedly.

 

“What? Oh no…no I’m not from a record label…” Chloe trailed off and didn’t know what to say next.

 

The guy seemed a little disappointed. He sighed before offering Chloe a warm smile, “Well, that’s too bad. I thought she’s finally getting noticed but well…” He shrugged and added, “So how come you know her? She hasn’t been in New York for long.”

 

Chloe thought about her reply, “I’m just an old friend I guess, and I thought I saw her the other night here but she doesn’t show up anymore.”

 

“Oh,” The guy nodded, “Yeah, that’s because she got a gig at a bar as the bar singer. So she doesn’t really have time to come here anymore.”

 

“Oh, that’s good for her…” Chloe trailed off again, wondering where she was going with this conversation.

 

The guy could see Chloe was hesitating to ask something, so he offered, “Do you want her number? I can give it to you. I think Becky would be glad to see an old friend as well.”

 

Chloe laughed nervously, “I’m not so sure about that.”

 

The guy gave Chloe a thoughtful look, before bending down to pick up a piece of paper and a pen from his guitar case to write something down. And then he handed the paper to Chloe, “Well, this is her number. But it’s up to you whether you want to get in touch with her.” He shrugged and waited for Chloe to take the paper.

 

Chloe stared at that piece of paper in the guy’s hand for a few seconds, before she hesitantly took it.

 

“Thanks.” She mumbled, looking at the paper that had Beca’s number on it for a while before looking back to the blond guy.

 

The guy just smiled at her and picked up his guitar to play again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been 30 minutes, 30 minutes that Chloe had been staring at that piece of paper with Beca’s number on it. She had no clue what she was going to do with it. Would she call? Or text? And what would she say?

 

Chloe groaned, eventually just saved Beca’s number in her phone and went to sleep. She would worry about this later.

 

When she got comfortable in her bed, her thoughts drifted to Beca again. _A bar singer._ She wondered. She always thought Beca would already be in the music industry doing what she loved, given her talent. Chloe never had any doubts. _But why did that guy said he thought I was from a record label and got so excited for Beca?_ She wondered. It didn’t make any sense that Beca still hadn’t got noticed. It just couldn’t be. With her talent, why was she still playing in the restaurant and singing at the bar? Chloe was confused yet she couldn’t help but feel a little sad for Beca. Life could seem so unfair sometimes. But Chloe believed in Beca, even when her heart still ached just thinking about her, she still believed in Beca, with all her broken heart.

 

* * *

 

 

Beca was on her water break when she heard her phone chime. Seeing it was a text message from Luke, she clicked it open while drinking her water.

**Becky! Something strange happened today at the park. A cute redhead came to me and asked about you, so I gave her your number. Just thought I should let you know. – Luke**

Beca almost choked on the water. She coughed for a while and furiously typed back.

 

**DUDE!!! YOU DID WHAT?!!!!  – Beca**

Her face was a little red and she was still coughing a little. She started to panic while waiting for Luke’s response. _It must have been Chloe. How did she know I was at that park? And Why is she looking for me?_ Beca thought, tapping her fingers on her phone nervously.

 

When Luke’s response came in, she quickly opened it,

 

**Relax, she said she was an old friend and that she saw you at the park the other day. And she’s been there for 6 nights in a row! I think she was waiting for you. Usually she would wait for like 30 minutes before leaving. So I thought I should save her the trouble and just gave her your number.  – Luke**

Beca’s heart was beating so fast reading the message. Chloe was waiting for her. But why? And now she kind of felt bad for not showing up. She took a few deep breaths before typing back,

 

**Oh okay, thanks for letting me know I guess. – Beca**

After that, Beca tossed her phone back to her bag and got nervous all of a sudden. Chloe had her number now. Would she get a chance to talk to the redhead again? God, she missed her so much. What she wouldn’t give to hear the redhead’s voice again. Beca was deep in thoughts when she heard Jesse call her name, letting her know that her break was over, and it was time for her to sing again.

 

Beca shook her head a little, pushing all those thoughts about Chloe to the back of her mind and trying to focus on the songs she was about to sing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Come on Chloe, it’s been almost 2 months. Don’t you think you should get back out there and at least have some fun?” Aubrey was trying to convince Chloe to go to this bar with her later tonight.

 

Chloe was sipping her coffee, unimpressed, “I don’t know Bree, I don’t really feel like going to the bar. Work has been kicking my butt lately and I just want to stay on my couch and eat takeout.”

 

“Oh please Chlo? At least be my wing-woman for one night? I promise that you won’t be disappointed by this bar! And you know you are not going to find your Mr. or Ms. Perfect when all you do is working and staying at home.” Aubrey tried again, adding a slight pout.

 

Chloe laughed, “Fine! Stop pouting Posen! I’ll be your wing-woman tonight, but no more! I don’t really think I’ll meet my Mr. or Ms. Perfect in some bar.”

 

Aubrey smirked, clearly pleased with her victory in getting the redhead to step out of her apartment, “Well, you never know. Perhaps you’ll meet him or her tonight.” She winked.

 

Chloe chuckled, “If you say so.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe was surprise when she arrived at the bar with Aubrey. This bar was located on a street corner with a zingy entrance, and there was already a line of people waiting outside to be let in. The décor didn’t seem to be over-the-top, but gave out cosy and mysterious vibes all at the same time. Chloe had to admit that she was quite impressed with this bar. The music was quite good and was not at an overbearing volume. And she was enjoying herself so far. Or maybe it was just because she hadn’t been to any bar scenes for quite a long time. Chicago wasn’t a fan of bars or clubs, so they rarely went to those places since they had been dating. So gradually, Chloe just got used to staying at home after work.

 

She was wearing a low-cut black dress right now, which hugged her body perfectly. She decided to let her hair down in loose curls for the evening and wear a leather jacket over her dress, finishing her look with a pair of pearl-gray high heels.

 

She didn’t really want to dress up but Aubrey managed to convince her to at least put in some efforts, claiming she must be ready to meet her Mr. / Ms. Perfect at all time. Chloe just rolled her eyes but relented.

 

She looked around and noticed that in front of the dance floor, there was a nice stage with a microphone stand, a keyboard and a guitar. _Live Music, even better!_ Chloe thought happily. She looked back to Aubrey but saw that the blonde had already busied herself in a conversation with some tall and muscular guy. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, letting her best friend know that she was going to get them both some drinks, before leaving to go to bar located at the side of the room.

 

She approached the bartender who was also a blonde woman but before she could speak, the bartender beat her to it, “Hey there ginger! What can I get you?”

 

Chloe was a bit surprised by the Australian accent, but she smiled and answered, “A Gin and Tonic and a Moscow Mule please, thanks.”

 

The blonde nodded, “Coming right up.”

 

Chloe then took a seat on one of the bar stools and patiently waited for her drinks. There were two other girls sitting beside her and were talking quite loudly. So Chloe couldn’t help but catch some of their conversation from where she sat.

 

“I’ve always wanted to come to this bar! I heard the new bar singer is kinda hot!”

 

“Not kinda hot! Super-hot is more accurate!” The other laughed, “I’ve always had a thing for those melancholy and moody artists!”

 

“Right, of course you are.” The first one commented, “But I heard she got screwed over by her manager or something pretty bad and that’s why she’s still singing at bars.”

 

“Really? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. Music industry is bananas.”

 

“Yeah…come on, she’s about to go on stage! Let’s go find some good seats, maybe you’ll get lucky tonight!”

 

The two girls then giggled and left the bar stools. Chloe shook her head slightly in amusement and became even more curious about this new mysterious and “super-hot” bar singer.

 

After getting her and Aubrey’s drinks, she went back to look for her best friend. Finally, she spotted Aubrey already sitting in a booth and walked over.

 

“Here you go,” Chloe handed the Gin and Tonic to Aubrey and sipped her own drink while sitting down at the booth, “Nice work in finding us a booth.”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing, Scott helped so…”

 

“Who’s Scott?” Chloe asked with a smirk.

 

“The tall and muscular guy I was talking to when you left to get us drinks, he’s…” Aubrey trailed off when she noticed the smirk on Chloe’s face, “You are totally messing with me aren’t you?!”

 

“Of course not! I want to hear all about your new boyfriend!” Chloe answered innocently.

 

“He’s not my boyfrien…You know what? I’m not falling for this! Let’s just listen to the live music and please drop this topic okay?!” Aubrey rolled her eyes.

 

Chloe laughed, “Sure. Oh, speaking of the music, I just heard two girls talking about the new bar singer when I was waiting for our drinks. Apparently, she is and I quote ‘super-hot’.”

 

Aubrey laughed as well, “Since when do you eavesdrop? Oh hey maybe this new ‘super-hot’ bar singer could be your future wife!” Aubrey joked, “Hot, musically gifted, has a nice voice, and judging by the instruments on that stage, apparently she plays the keyboard and the guitar. Sounds like your type.”

 

Chloe playfully smacked Aubrey’s arm, joking back, “Hey! Am I that predictable?! But okay, that does sound like my type.”

 

Aubrey laughed, and when she saw the lights dimmed in the room, she perked up in anticipation, nudging the redhead, “Hey you better pay attention, your future wife is about to go on stage!”

 

Chloe chuckled while rolling her eyes at her friend’s silliness, but she turned her attention to the stage anyway, waiting for the singer to appear.

 

However, when she made out who the singer was, her smile immediately dropped.

 

It was no other than the one and only Beca Mitchell.


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe watched as Beca strolled onto the stage and picked up her guitar, taking her time to adjust the microphone stand.

 

“Hey there.” She said into the microphone when she finished adjusting it. And a few girls sitting close to the stage squealed in excitement. Beca smiled slightly and sat on a stool behind the microphone with her guitar.

 

“The first song I want to sing tonight is a song that I wrote a while back for a special someone. I haven’t seen her or talked to her for almost 8 years, but recently she appeared out of nowhere and I came across her in a restaurant the other day. We didn’t get to talk but… Anyway, she just happened to be in my mind a lot lately. So let’s hear this song then.”

 

Chloe’s breath caught in her throat and her heart was beating so wildly that she felt like it was going to jump out of her chest at any second. And then Beca started strumming her guitar. Not even 3 seconds into the introduction of the song, Chloe instantly recognized it. Beca was going to play **that** song. The first song that she wrote for her.

 

 

_A dangerous plan, just this time_

_A stranger's hand clutched in mine_

_I'll take this chance, so call me blind_

_I've been waiting all my life_

_Please don't scar this young heart_

_Just take my hand_

Chloe teared up at hearing Beca’s soulful voice, she didn’t think she would be hearing Beca sing this song again, after so many years, after everything that happened.

_I was made for loving you_

_Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through_

_Every bone screaming (I don't know what we should do)_

_All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you_

Chloe’s brain was screaming at her to get out of the bar, but she just couldn’t move, feeling as if she was paralyzed. So she just sat there, in the corner booth of the bar, getting lost in Beca’s voice, the voice that she used to fall asleep to countless nights.

 

 

_Hold me close through the night_

_Don't let me go, we'll be alright_

_Touch my soul and hold it tight_

_I've been waiting all my life_

_I won't scar your young heart_

_Just take my hand_

The bar had grown quiet, only Beca’s soft voice echoing around the room. Chloe’s vision blurred, and her mind started to take her back to that night when Beca first sang her this song.

 

 

_Chloe tapped her finger impatiently on her laptop. It was her 19th birthday that day. She was supposed to Skype with her girlfriend but the brunette just wouldn’t pick up. They hadn’t seen each other for 2 months by that point. And even though they tried to Skype every day, it just wasn’t the same, not being able to hold each other’s hands, kiss or cuddle._

_Chloe sighed and ended the call after the 3rd unsuccessful attempt, figuring that the brunette must have still been at work. She was just about to text Beca but saw that the brunette was calling her back through Skype. She happily threw away her phone and didn’t waste another second to click connect on her laptop, instantly squealing when she saw her girlfriend’s face appearing on the laptop screen._

_The brunette looked tired, but she still had a huge grin on her face upon seeing Chloe. “Happy Birthday baby.” Beca said._

_Chloe grinned widely, “Thanks babe! Did you just come home? You look tired.”_

_“Yeah, boss had some extra chores for me to do. But anyway, I’m here now. How was your day?”_

_Chloe shrugged, “Just a normal day for me, went to classes, had a birthday lunch with some of my friends, more classes and then here we are. So far my birthday highlight is finally seeing my gorgeous girlfriend.” Chloe winked at Beca._

_Beca smiled, she brought a hand up to her laptop screen to trace Chloe’s face, sighing, “I wish I could touch your face and kiss you right now. I miss you.”_

_Chloe moved her fingers on her laptop screen to touch Beca’s face as well, “I miss you too, so much. But hey, 10 more weeks then I’ll get to come back to you, okay?”_

_Beca nodded and smiled lovingly at Chloe for a while, before she suddenly jumped and startled Chloe on the other end of the laptop as well, “Hey! I have a gift for my favourite birthday girl! I can’t believe I almost forgot! It’s totally your fault! I was distracted by your damn pretty face Beale!” Beca whined and looked like she was looking for something on her desk._

_Chloe giggled, “How is that my fault? But you don’t need to buy me a gift babe! It’s not like you can magically throw the gift through the laptop screens and I’ll get it.”_

_Beca seemed to find what she was looking for and sat back, smirking at the redhead, “That is so not true, this gift you can totally receive and have it with you for eternity. I can’t believe you are a college student and didn’t think of the possibilities.”_

_Chloe narrowed her eyes, looking at the brunette_ _incredulously, “Well, what is it?”_

_Beca waved a piece of paper in front of the screen and turned to grab her guitar, smiling at the redhead, “I wrote you a song.”_

_Chloe’s eyes widened and were suddenly filled with tears, “What?”_

_Beca adjusted the angle of her laptop so that Chloe can see her perfectly with her guitar, before replying, “Yep you heard it right, your super talented girlfriend aka me wrote you a song.” She then asked her softly, “Do you want to hear it?”_

_Chloe just nodded, and turned up the volume on her laptop, waiting for the brunette to start…_

_  
_

_'Cause I was made for loving you_

_Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through_

_Every bone screaming I don't know what we should do_

_All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you_

Back into reality, Chloe quickly brought a hand up to wipe all the tears that were threatening to fall, but it seemed to be no use, they just kept on coming, without a sign of stopping. She still remembered that night, in her small dorm room, in front of her laptop, her 19-year-old self was smiling and crying at the same time listening to the brunette sing to her, falling more in love with Beca if that was even possible.

 

And right now, even after 8 years, the butterflies returned somehow, fluttering their wings in Chloe’s stomach, syncing with the rhythm of Beca’s song. Then, she heard a small quiver in Beca’s voice and looked up. Beca somehow found her despite of all the crowd and was looking at her, with her steel blue eyes, filled with so many emotions. Surprise, delight, pain, regret, hesitance, hope, tenderness, and so many more. Chloe felt a little dizzy just looking at Beca’s dazzling eyes, but she just couldn’t look away even if she wanted to.

 

 

_Please don't go, I've been waiting so long_

_Oh, you don't even know me at all_

_But I was made for loving you_

_I was made for loving you_

_Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through_

_Every bone screaming I don't know what we should do_

_All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you_

 

With a last stroke of her guitar, Beca finished her song and the room burst into applause, but Beca didn’t seem to care, she just continued to look into Chloe’s eyes, those cerulean eyes. It was almost like the rest of the world didn’t exist anymore and there were only the two of them, looking into each other’s eyes, without any words or moves.

 

Suddenly, Aubrey’s voice seemed to bring Chloe back to her senses, “Man, they weren’t kidding, this girl is really good and really hot too.”

 

After hearing Aubrey’s comment, Chloe broke eye contact with Beca and suddenly couldn’t take it anymore. She spoke a little too loudly to Aubrey, “I want to go home.” And with that, she grabbed her purse and left the bar, with a confused Aubrey running after her.

 

After getting into the cab, Aubrey looked at the silent redhead for a while, not sure what was wrong or what to do. She watched Chloe angrily wipe her tears forming in her eyes and watched her clutch at her purse so hard that her knuckles turned white.

 

Finally, Aubrey couldn’t stand the silence anymore, “Are you okay Chloe? What’s going on?”

 

Chloe didn’t answer, she just struggled to control her breaths and tried to fight back the tears.

 

“Chloe.”

 

“That’s Beca. The singer. That’s Beca.” Chole whispered under her breath.

 

“What?!”

 

 

* * *

 

Beca sat on her stool, dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe it. What were the odds that Chloe came to this bar at this exact night, when she just happened to decide to sing this song. And Beca let the redhead run away from her, again. But given what happened between them all those years ago, she couldn’t blame Chloe. Not really.

 

_It had been 5 months. 5 months since Chloe left for NYU, and 5 months into Beca’s internship. And Beca felt like she was slowly losing her mind at the record label. Every day, she just went to the building, getting all the coffee orders, preparing those coffees, and then gathering lunch orders, running out to get those lunches, going back and then there was another round of coffee orders. In addition, her boss would throw random chores for her to do day after day._

_She wasn’t trying to be difficult, she knew those were basically what interns did anyway. But it was just that she started to see the harsh reality in the industry. And sometimes it would make her doubt herself and feel a little lost. Her contract for this internship was 1 year. But what would happen after 1 year? She would probably be promoted to become that guy who spent all his working hours watching YouTube videos and trying to find new artists? Was that really something she wanted to do? And how many years would it take for her to finally make a name for herself? It was naïve to think there would be some shortcuts or overnight success. I mean there may be, but she highly doubted that they would happen to her anyway._

_And with all the rejections of the demos she sent out and sometimes even harsh words, she felt like they were slowly breaking her resolve. She also felt like she was drifting in the ocean, not knowing where to go or not even having control over herself. And her anchor? Well her anchor was away in New York. So sometimes, she just felt all alone, helpless even._

_And of course she didn’t talk about all these things with Chloe. They only get a one-hour Skype session everyday if they were lucky. More often, with Chloe’s assignments and Beca’s tiredness from work, they would just call to say goodnight to each other. Also, Beca didn’t want to fill their Skype dates with all her whines and insecurities. She didn’t want to be a buzzkill when Chloe would sometimes excitedly tell her about the cute animals she got to meet that day, even though Beca had a really bad day at work or just received another rejection email and wanted to cry. She just put on a smile for her girlfriend and listened quietly, wishing she could just hug her and listen to Chloe tell her how she always believed in her talent, because she was not so sure anymore._

Beca blinked, hearing Jesse’s hushed voice telling her to keep singing. Beca sighed, she took a haste glance at her bar audience, knowing most of them weren’t here to listen to her music. To them, her music was probably just some background noise that would enhance the vibe of the bar. But if only one person was listening, she would play. So she adjusted her guitar and began absentmindedly singing some random songs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aubrey had never met the “famous” Beca Mitchell before. Even though she had known Chloe since freshman year at NYU, they didn’t get to share a dorm since they had different majors. As far as she knew, Beca only ever visited Chloe twice before they broke up.

 

However, she did witness Chloe’s breakdown after Beca’s second and last visit here. She had never seen anyone cried so much in her entire life. The redhead missed classes for a whole week, and she was sure if Chloe didn’t have that compulsory exam the week after, she still wouldn’t even set foot out of her dorm room. Aubrey would drop by every day after her classes to check up on the redhead and bring her food, forcing her to eat something because she knew Chloe wouldn’t remember to eat otherwise. And the redhead’s state was hard to watch. As days went by, Aubrey didn’t even have the heart to look at Chloe anymore. And then Aubrey would wonder if that was what it looked like to have one’s soul crushed and heart shattered.

 

Aubrey tried to help but she could only do so much because she never knew the whole story. The redhead wouldn’t tell her. So all she could do was to try her best to look after her best friend, checking up on her, bringing her class notes that she missed, buying her food and being there for her if she ever needed anything.

 

Then, to Aubrey’s surprise, on the 15th day of Chloe’s distress, she suddenly pulled herself together, stepping out of her dorm with perfect makeup, attending all her classes, going to lunch with all her friends like nothing had changed. Aubrey wanted Chloe to talk to her, because she knew although the redhead seemed to go back to her normal bubbly, sunshiny old self, deep down there still lay a broken heart, which was now protected by cold hard walls. But after seeing the look in Chloe’s eyes, she decided to shut her mouth, since she knew Chloe intended to never talk about this ever again. So she went with it, pretending those 15 days never existed at all.

 

But the ghost from the past finally caught up. And now here they were again, sitting in the back of a cab, Aubrey had to watch the redhead silently broke down in front of her all over again, helplessly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was 4am, and Beca finally finished her shift at the bar. She said goodbye to Jesse and Fat Amy before getting in her beat-up car and driving home. When she walked in her small apartment, the sky was beginning to awake, but she went to pull all the blinds down since it was her bedtime during the day and she couldn’t sleep with all the sunlight dancing in the apartment.

 

With a heavy sigh, she quickly showered and changed, before throwing herself on her bed. She didn’t have the mood to sleep today, especially since whenever she closed her eyes, all she could see was Chloe’s cerulean and teary eyes.

_“Becs, babe, I know, I’m so sorry!” Chloe said during one of their Skype dates the week before Christmas, “I know I said I would come home during the holidays, but my professor said that if I use this time to finish some of the research, I would be able to move faster in the advance courses so that I can take more for next semester!”_

_Beca sighed, “It’s okay Chlo, I just don’t want you to be too stressful you know.”_

_Chloe smiled, “I know I know! I promise I won’t stress myself out!”_

_Beca then checked her calendar, and suddenly perked up, “Will you be busy at the end of January?”_

_Chloe thought for a few seconds, “I don’t think so...why?”_

_Beca grinned, “Because I have 5 days off, and I think I can afford to fly over and spend a few days with you in New York! What do you think_ _—”_

_Beca was cut off by Chloe’s high-pitched squeals and she laughed, seeing that her girlfriend was literally bouncing up and down on her chair and she could only see half of her face on the screen now._

_“Calm down Beale, get in the camera will ya? It’ll still be another month. So right now, I want to see your whole face.” Beca teased._

_Chloe sat back down properly and beamed at Beca, “You are the best girlfriend ever!!!”_

_Beca laughed, “I try.”_

_“Anyway, enough about me, what about you? How were those demos that you sent out a few months ago? Did you receive any reply?” Chloe asked._

_Beca’s smile faltered a little, but she tried to act normal, “Eh, not much.” She didn’t want to tell Chloe that they were all rejected by various record labels, some she knew didn’t even bother to listen judging by the fact that her demos returned in the exactly same way as how she mailed them. But she didn’t want Chloe to know that._

_Chloe smiled reassuringly, “Hey don’t worry, they probably got tons of demos to listen to, I’m sure soon they will start to get back to you!”_

_Beca just nodded, not knowing what to say. Why did Chloe believe in her so much? She suddenly wanted to cry and scream at the same time. Just when she saw Chloe was about to say something else, probably asking about her work, which she didn’t really want to talk about, she quickly said,_

_“Hey, umm, my boss just texted me, I need to prepare a few documents for tomorrow’s meeting, so I got to go. But I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.” With that, she quickly ended the call, and couldn’t hold back her tears anymore._

_“Okay, love yo_ _—” Chloe didn’t get to finish when she saw Beca had already ended the call. She frowned, but brushed it off thinking Beca must have some urgent matters to attend to. It was near Christmas after all, and paperwork tended to pile up._

Beca reached over to her nightstand and picked up her phone. She stared at it for a few seconds and laughed at herself. Why was she even checking her phone? It was not like she was waiting for the redhead to text her or call her. Plus, she couldn’t text or call the redhead either. Chloe was the one who had the initiative. All Beca could do was wait since she didn’t have the redhead’s number. And to be honest, she didn’t think Chloe was going to contact her. After all, she made it clear in that voicemail all those years ago.

 

So, with another sigh, she set a few alarms and tossed her phone back, forcing herself to get some sleep before having to leave for her gig at the restaurant later.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aubrey and Chloe were now back at Chloe’s apartment. The redhead had calmed down after a silent breakdown in the cab. So now she was sitting on the couch, lost in her own thoughts while Aubrey was in the kitchen trying to make them both some tea.

 

“Here,” Aubrey handed Chloe a mug filled with her favourite fruit tea.

 

Chloe took it and offered a small appreciative smile to Aubrey, before the blonde sat down next to her.

 

The two sipped their tea in silence for a while, until Aubrey finally spoke, “Chlo, I know you’ll probably get mad at me, but I think you need to talk to her and work things out. You can’t keep going like this, having a breakdown every time you see her.”

 

Chloe sighed, putting down her cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her, “I’m not mad… and you are right. I need to work things out with her. If we can’t be friends again, at least I need some closure.”

 

Aubrey was surprised to hear this but pleased, “So… do you need me to go back to the bar and get her number for you?”

 

Chloe smiled at her best friend’s gesture, “Thanks Bree, but… I already have her number.”

 

“What? How did…”

 

“I went back to the park a few days ago but she wasn’t there anymore, and her musician friend gave me her number… but I haven’t called her yet.” Chloe explained.

 

“Oh, okay.” Aubrey nodded, “So when you meet her, do you need me to come with you?”

 

Chloe thought about that for a few seconds, before shaking her head, “No Bree, I think this is something I need to do by myself. And I think I’ll be okay.”

 

Aubrey nodded, “Okay, you are doing the right thing, Chlo,” She reassured the redhead, “Good luck.”

 

After Aubrey left, Chloe picked up her phone and sent out a text message before she could change her mind.

 

**Beca, it’s Chloe. I think we need to talk. When are you free?  – Chloe**

 

_  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is I Was Made for Loving You by Tori Kelly ft. Ed Sheeran.


	10. Chapter 10

Beca was restless to say the least. She was waiting for Chloe in a coffee shop near the redhead’s clinic. Since Beca worked at night, she was only free during the day. Therefore, they had to meet during the redhead’s lunch break.

 

Beca didn’t expect Chloe to contact her at all so when she saw the text, she nearly dropped her phone. She was a little hesitant to meet with the redhead, but at the same time, she was eager to see her again and was a little curious about what the redhead wanted to talk about.

 

So here she was, sitting at a table near the window, nervously waiting for the redhead to arrive. She didn’t want to be late so she arrived 30 minutes early. But when she was seated, she began to think this was the worst idea ever since she would definitely be using this 30 minutes to panic and probably even having a nervous breakdown from all the scenarios flying like crazy in her head.

 

Therefore, in order to distract herself, she took out her phone and texted Fat Amy, hoping to somehow get a pep talk or something.

 

**Dude, what are you supposed to say when you are meeting your ex-girlfriend?  – B**

 

After waiting for a few minutes, just as she was starting to think Fat Amy wasn’t going to respond, she felt her phone vibrate in her hand.

 

**How should I know? I don’t have any girlfriends or ex-girlfriends. – FA**

 

Beca rolled her eyes and typed,

 

**I’m not asking for your personal experience! I just feel like I’m gonna have a nervous breakdown right now. – B**

**Where’s your Mitchell swagger kid? I thought you were smooth with the ladies ;) – FA**

**Amy I’m serious! What should I say to her? What if she starts yelling at me? – B**

**Calm down Beca, just…think of her as an old friend, instead of your ex-girlfriend who was your first love and broke up with you when you went to propose to her. – FA**

**Why did I text you in the first place?! You give the worst advice! – B**

**Don’t be crazy, do you not remember all the times I’ve been awesome?!! – FA**

Beca huffed, and just when she was about to type out another reply, she caught a glimpse of red hair and saw Chloe walking into the coffee shop, so she quickly wrapped up this text conversation.

 

**Dude, stop talking, she’s here! – B**

**Whaaa? You texted me first!! Anyway, good luck kid! – FA**

Beca put away her phone, taking in a few deep breaths, before she stood up, watching Chloe walking towards the table.

 

Beca took a second to take in Chloe’s appearance. _She’s still as beautiful as ever._ She thought, and then shook her head slightly. No, she could not have those thoughts right now. She watched Chloe closely, her heart beating faster with every step Chloe took towards her and finally, the redhead was standing in front of her.

 

“Hey.” Beca said, hesitantly.

 

“Hi.” Chloe offered her a small smile before going to sit down at the opposite of Beca.

 

The waiter came to ask about their orders. And after he left, the two fell into a rather awkward silence.

 

Beca was racking her brains to find something, anything to talk about, but she wasn’t sure what the redhead’s intentions were for this meeting, so she didn’t know what kind of topics were appropriate.

 

Fortunately, the redhead came to her rescue, “How have you been?”

 

Beca looked up at the redhead for a brief moment before replying, “Okay, I guess… How about you?”

 

“I’m doing alright, thanks.”

 

Then another silence.

 

“Look,” Chloe sighed, “I don’t want us to be awkward or whatever. I just thought since we’ve been bumping into each other a lot lately, it would probably be a good idea to try and fix a few things between us since we did end things on a pretty bad note, you know? And I need to have some…closure…I guess.”

 

Beca nodded, “I understand.” She said.

 

“And whatever happened in the past… it’s been a long time. So let’s just get over it. And I would like us to be friends again, if you want.” Chloe finished, looking down at the napkin in front of her.

 

Beca watched the redhead for a few moments, before smiling, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

Chloe looked up and smiled as well.

 

The waiter then brought their food and they started to eat.

 

“You are not wearing an engagement ring.” Beca stated after a while. She had been dying to ask this question since she noticed Chloe wasn’t wearing any ring the moment she walked in.

 

Chloe looked down at her hand, before replying, “Yeah, Chicago and I… it didn’t work out so…”

 

“What? Who?” Beca asked, a little confused.

 

Chloe lightly chuckled, “Chicago, my ex-boyfriend. He’s in the air force and recently got transferred to the European base.”

 

“Oh… what kind of name is Chicago?” Beca mumbled, then she widened her eyes, “Sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

 

Chloe laughed, “It’s okay, normal response I’d say.”

 

“So how did you two meet?” Beca asked curiously.

 

“Oh, he brought his dog to the veterinary clinic when I was still an intern there.” Chloe answered causally.

 

Beca smiled, “That’s cute, like a movie even.”

 

Chloe chuckled a little, “Yeah, heard that a lot. Guess it was quite indeed a meet cute. But I never thought I’d hear the word ‘movie’ coming out of your mouth.” she joked.

 

Beca snorted, “After all these years, I’ve learnt to tolerate them.”

 

Chloe chuckled again, shaking her head.

 

“So, you are a vet now huh?” Beca asked.

 

“Yeah, actually I just opened my own clinic with some of my colleagues a few months ago. It was just around the corner from this coffee shop.” Chloe smiled.

 

“Wow that’s amazing Chloe. I’m happy for you.” Beca said genuinely.

 

“Thanks. So, what about you?”

 

“Well you’ve already seen me in my two jobs,” Beca shrugged, “So if you are asking me whether I have a third job, then no, I don’t have a third job.”

 

Chloe chuckled, “That’s not what I meant but okay.”

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t it work out between you and Mr. Windy City? He seemed like a nice guy.” Beca asked, hoping she didn’t overstep by this question.

 

Chloe laughed at the joke about Chicago’s name. Beca hadn’t changed one bit apparently, cracking witty jokes every opportunity she can.

 

“Well, yeah he’s nice and all, but I just don’t see my future with him you know? I feel like I want to find someone that I can at least see myself dancing in the kitchen with.” Chloe shrugged, “Plus, he wanted me to move to Europe with him but I don’t see myself living in Europe as well.”

 

Beca smiled. Chloe was still a hopeless romantic. Something apparently would never change.

 

Chloe noticed Beca’s smile, “What?”

 

“Nothing.” Beca quickly said and resumed eating her mac and cheese.

 

Chloe watched Beca with a thoughtful face, then she said, “You look different.”

 

Beca looked up, and she just couldn’t hold back the first comment that popped into her head, “If by different you mean bigger boobs I swear to God—”

 

“Oh my God!! No!!Not that!!!” Chloe laughed.

 

Beca smiled and was relieved. She was worried that the comment had gone too far and might upset the redhead.

 

“Okay, then how so?” She urged.

 

Chloe thought about her answer, “Well, when we first met, you with your skateboard, your tattoos, and your guitar—”

 

Beca interrupted again, “You just described the definition of a badass, but go on.”

 

Chloe laughed again, “No, I just meant that the younger you were so cocky, untamed and without a care in the world, but now you seemed gentler, more at peace and more matured… in a good way.” She added.

 

Beca considered what Chloe just said, before nodding, “Yeah, I guess you are right. But if after all these years, I’m still like a 17-year-old brat and haven’t matured, I think I should be worried.”

 

They laughed, and Beca continued, “Yeah, I guess life just happened.” She shrugged.

 

Chloe couldn’t help but notice a sad expression flickering on Beca’s face just for a split second, so quick that people would hardly even notice, but she did. She then remembered what she heard in the bar about Beca’s despicable manager and wanted to ask Beca about it so bad. But she knew the brunette probably wouldn’t want to talk about it. So she just nodded.

 

Chloe’s phone rang. She checked the time and knew she should probably go back to the clinic. Beca immediately knew their time was up, so she paid for their lunch and walked out with redhead.

 

“Beca, you didn’t need to pay for my lunch you know.” Chloe said.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I want to… I’m really glad we could catch up…I hope we can do this again?” Beca asked.

 

“Yeah, I’d like that as well. I had a really good time. Thanks, Beca.” Chloe smiled.

 

“Yeah, me too.” Beca answered, “So see you then?”

 

Chloe nodded, “Yeah, see you.”

 

Just as Beca was about to turn to go to her car, Chloe spoke again, “Wait Beca…”

 

Beca turned back around and saw that Chloe was chewing her bottom lip, a habit indicating that she was being hesitant and unsure.

 

“What is it Chloe? You can ask me anything.” Beca reassured the redhead.

 

“Well, I know it probably doesn’t matter now but…I’m just…I just want to know, why didn’t you respond to my calls and voicemails back then?” Chloe asked.

 

Beca’s heart clenched. _Should she tell Chloe the truth? But just like she said, it doesn’t matter now._ Beca looked down, taking in a deep breath, “I didn’t check the phone. Sorry.” She said in a smaller voice.

 

Chloe shook her head with a sad smile, “No, you don’t need to be sorry. It’s in the past and it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m just curious that’s all.”

 

Beca looked up and nodded. “I’m still sorry Chloe.”

 

Chloe offered her a small smile before saying, “Okay I really need to go, we’ll be in touch. See you Beca.”

 

Beca gave her a small wave and watched the redhead disappear around the street corner.

 

_Those 52 missed phone calls and 15 voicemails. How could she forget? But did she do the right thing by not telling Chloe the truth? Well technically, what she said wasn’t a lie, it’s just not the whole truth. But yeah, it doesn’t matter anymore. And she could only hope it was the right thing to do._

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

_Chloe stood near the airport entrance, anxiously waiting for Beca to come out of the gate. It was finally the end of January. And as promised, Beca would come and stay with her for 3 days. Although the redhead wished Beca could stay longer, she was already grateful that they finally got to be in the same place for once._

_She was biting her bottom lip nervously and impatiently scanning the crowd, searching for her girlfriend. Then suddenly there she was, she saw Beca roam out of the gate, wearing a plaid shirt with a huge winter coat over it, along with jeans and winter boots. She had a slightly crazy hair, probably from the napping on the plane and was yawing a little. Her eyes were glued to her phone, clutched in her left hand while her right hand was dragging a small suitcase._

_Chloe suddenly teared up a little. She couldn’t believe how Beca could look so beautiful, so perfect, even with that crazy hair. She forgot how to move all of a sudden. So she just stood at the entrance, eyes following the brunette’s every movement and taking in Beca’s anything and everything._

_The vibration of the phone in Chloe’s jean pocket startled her and suddenly brought her out of her trance. It must have been Beca texting her to let her know she arrived and ask where she was. Chloe let out a high-pitched squeal and successfully startled all the passengers around her, starting to run in full speed towards Beca._

_Beca must have heard the riot noise coming from Chloe’s direction and turned her head to see what was happening. And Chloe swore when Beca spotted her, the look on Beca’s face almost made her knees give out, causing her to nearly fall over while running towards her small girlfriend._

_Because Beca’s face just lit up entirely, all the tiredness Chloe saw on her face when Beca just came out of the gate completely disappeared. Her stormy blue eyes were sparkling, her lips curled into a ravishing smile, and she opened her arm widely, waiting for Chloe to reach her._

_And Chloe didn’t waste another second to jump into Beca arms and wrap her legs around the brunette’s hips, instantly connecting their lips._

_After about 10 minutes’ passionate kissing, they finally broke apart, breathless. And Chloe just wrapped her legs tighter around the brunette’s waist and buried her head into the crook of her girlfriend’s neck, refusing to let go. Beca just laughed and hugged her even closer. God, Chloe didn’t even realize how much she missed the brunette’s laugh. It was different from hearing it though her laptop speaker. She just really missed Beca’s voice, Beca’s touch, Beca’s everything actually._

_“I missed you so much.” Chloe whispered in Beca’s ear and sniffled._

_“I missed you more.” Beca smiled and nuzzled into Chloe’s red locks, “I love you.”_

* * *

 

 

Beca was staring at her phone on the table and was debating hard internally whether to text the redhead.

 

“Jesus Beca, you’ve been staring at that thing for 20 minutes already!” Fat Amy yelled amusedly from behind the counter, “Are you trying to stare a hole into that thing or are you trying to practice teleporting?”

 

Beca glared at the blonde, unamused, “Amy! This is serious business okay?! I mean it’s been 5 days since the lunch. Do you think I should text her?”

 

Before Amy could answer, Beca went on rambling again, “I mean, when we left we did say ‘see you’ instead of ‘goodbye’. That had to mean something right?! It basically means we would hang out again. That’s the implication, right?”

 

Amy was amused to say the least. She had never seen the brunette act this way before, and it was hilarious!

 

“But she did ask me why I didn’t answer her calls back then right at the very end,” Beca continued her rambling, “Then she said, ‘we’ll be in touch’, what does that mean?” Beca whined, “Does it mean I can contact her as well or is it just a one-way thing?!”

 

Fat Amy couldn’t hold back her giggles anymore and eventually burst into a good 5-minute laugh. Beca just looked at her beyond belief and seemed offended.

 

“I’m s-sorry.” Fat Amy tried to calm down, wiping a few tears that escaped from her eyes from all the laughing, “It’s just so. Damn. Funny.”

 

Beca glared at the blonde again, “Why do you always find amusement in other people’s misery? You are such a horrible person!”

 

Fat Amy burst into laughter again, and this time even louder that attracted Jesse’s attention from his office. He stepped out to join Beca and Fat Amy, “What happened? Why is Amy laughing so hard?”

 

Beca just huffed and went back to stare at her phone.

 

Jesse turned to Amy, confused.

 

“Superstar here is over-analysing everything that her redhead said during their last lunch date,” Amy explained, ignoring the glares from the brunette, “And who knows a rambling Beca can be this adorable and hilarious?!”

 

Beca was now staring daggers at Amy, soon at Jesse too, because he was now laughing even louder than Amy.

 

“Oh my God, Beca!!! That’s so…girly…of you.” Jesse couldn’t catch his breath from all the laughing and was clutching his stomach.

 

Beca groaned, “I seriously don’t know why I’m friends with you two. You are the worst of the worst!!” She grabbed the cleaning cloth on the counter and threw it at Jesse’s direction.

 

Jesse caught the cloth and went to sit down next to Beca, deciding it was enough teasing for the day. “Just text her Beca, see if she wants to come here to listen to you sing or something.”

 

Beca looked like she was considering this idea, “I don’t know Jesse, does that sound too… couply to you?”

 

Jesse shrugged, “Eh, I don’t see anything wrong with one friend coming to see another friend perform. Besides,” He smirked, “Don’t tell me you just want to be friends with red. A rambling and cute Beca doesn’t appear for anyone.”

 

Beca glared at him, but then sighed, “It’s just really complicated. I’m already so thankful that she wants us to be friends again. I don’t want to mess this up you know.”

 

Jesse nodded, “Then take it slow and see how it goes from there. But you wouldn’t know if neither of you make the first move. So,” Jesse took the phone from the table and put it in Beca’s hand, “Text her.”

 

Beca looked at her phone for a moment, before nodding and leaving the room.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe was sitting in her office reading some files when she heard her phone chime. She picked it up from the side of the table but instantly froze when she saw who texted her.

 

**Hey Chloe, it’s Beca. I was wondering if you want to drop by the bar to listen to some of my songs. If you are free of course. If not, that’s totally cool too! Just thought I’d invite you. Drinks on the house btw. – Beca**

Chloe’s heart was suddenly beating very fast. _What does that mean?_ _Is it a date? It doesn’t seem like it, but it’s not some normal hanging out between friends either._ Chloe groaned. _What is it about Beca Mitchell that can always get her all flustered and over-analysing everything, even after all these years?!_

 

She stared at the text for 5 minutes, before typing back a response to test if Beca meant it as date.

 

**Hi Beca. Cool, but can I bring a friend? – Chloe**

Chloe patiently waited for the brunette’s response. The files that she was reading before long forgotten.

 

**Of course! – Beca**

 

The redhead couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. _Wait what?!_ She shook her head, then replied.

 

**Great! I’ll drop by later then. Wait, are my friend’s drinks also on the house?! – Chloe**

Chloe chuckled a little. She could imagine Beca laughing on the other side of the phone already.

 

**Tough audience I see. But sure, why not? Anything for you Chlo. – Beca**

 

Chloe’s heart fluttered at the sight of her nickname and she couldn’t control the butterflies in her stomach. She cleared her throat and typed on her phone again.

 

**Awes! I’ll see you in a few hours then. Btw, do you always use free drinks to lure audience? That’s not very fair to be honest. – Chloe**

**Didn’t see you complain there Beale! – Beca**

Chloe laughed and put away her phone. _Maybe having Beca Mitchell back in her life wasn’t a bad thing after all._

_  
_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of time jump to pick up the pace :D

Ever since their first text message exchange, the two soon started to text on a regular basis. And Chloe would always drag Aubrey with her to watch Beca perform at the bar, 3 nights a week.

 

Chloe had to admit that she missed Beca’s voice, and every time the brunette sang, she couldn’t help but stare at her in awe, trying not to think too much about the butterflies inside her stomach and her fluttering heart.

 

Normally, the brunette wouldn’t have time to come to their booth and talk to them, they usually had to come up near the stage to say goodbye to Beca before leaving. But today, during one of Beca’s breaks, she snuck into Chloe and Aubrey’s booth.

 

Ever since Beca met Aubrey, she always felt like the blonde didn’t like her. She would usually receive glares from said blonde for no reason. And Beca was extremely confused, what did she do to the blonde? She had been giving her free drinks for god’s sake.

 

After sliding down into the booth next to Chloe, Beca saw that Aubrey was rolling her eyes, again.

 

“Aubrey, are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctors?” Beca asked in a concerned voice.

 

Hearing this, Chloe turned to look at her all confused, and Aubrey just eyed her suspiciously.

 

Beca smirked, “Because I can introduce my ophthalmologist to you. He’s very good. I know this because I used to roll my eyes way more often than you. And look at me now, I barely roll my eyes 3 times a day. You know, Aubrey, there’s no need to be ashamed, we are all here for you. It’s just a disease, no one will judge you and think you are being rude to them. We can face it and help you to battle it together.”

 

Chloe burst into loud laughter as Beca finished, leaning a little bit closer to the brunette subconsciously. Aubrey just gritted her teeth and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.” Then she slammed her drink on the table and left.

 

Beca smirked again and looked at the laughing redhead, secretly loving that she could still make Chloe laugh like this.

 

Chloe calmed down after a while and said, “I feel like if I continue to drag Aubrey here, she’s gonna develop a gastric ulcer or something from all the teasing.”

 

Beca feigned offence, “How dare you?! Everyone loves the Mitchell charm and swagger okay?!”

 

Chloe giggled, “I’m sure.”

 

The redhead laughed even harder when she saw that smug look on Beca’s face and couldn’t help but reach out a hand to push the brunette’s face to the side.

 

Beca laughed as well. She dropped the smug grin, and smiled softly at the redhead, feeling her heart skip a beat at the happy and carefree expression on the redhead’s face.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night, when Aubrey and Chloe were taking a cab together to go home, Aubrey decided to speak, “You and the hobbit seem awfully close lately.”

 

Chloe turned to give Aubrey a look, “What are you suggesting?”

 

Aubrey shrugged, “Nothing, I’m just stating a fact and I’m looking out for you Chlo. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

 

Chloe’s face softened, “Thanks Bree, I appreciate it. But I know what I’m doing and we are just friends.”

 

Aubrey nodded and sighed. One of the few flaws that her best friend had was that she could be too forgiving. She didn’t know what exactly happened 8 years ago between Chloe and Beca, but at this point, she just had to trust Chloe that she indeed knew what she was doing. Because from Aubrey’s point of view, it seemed a lot like the redhead was falling back in love with the hobbit.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca finished her shift and drove home at around 5am. She parked her car outside her apartment building and let out a content sigh.

 

Having Chloe back in her life was something Beca wouldn’t even dare to dream of a few years ago. But now she got to see her three times a week, got to talk to her and laugh with her. She knew she was still in love with the redhead. In fact, she was sure she had never stopped loving her, even if she didn’t get to see her for 8 years. And deep down, she knew, there wouldn’t be another person in the world that she would love like she loved Chloe.

 

But she doubted that the redhead still felt the same about her. So, the best she could do was to be her friend and having a small place in the redhead’s life was enough for Beca. Really. As long as Chloe was happy, Beca didn’t really care about what happened to herself. After all, Beca always felt like she was the one that pushed Chloe away in the first place all those years ago. So, she didn’t really have the right to fight for Chloe’s love anymore.

 

 

_“So?” Chloe asked expectantly, “How do you like New York so far?”_

_Beca smiled, grabbing Chloe’s hand and then putting their intertwined hands inside the pocket of her winter coat. They were walking around the streets in the morning, after Chloe insisted that they should use the last day of Beca’s stay to watch the sunrise outside._

_The last two days had been amazing. Beca managed to forget all those troubles at work, all the pressure and all those harsh words thrown at her. She got to spend every second with Chloe, kissing her and holding her hands, and she started to feel like as long as she had Chloe by her side, she wouldn’t have anything to fear and everything would be okay. And even though this was her first time being in New York, she instantly felt like home. Or maybe it was just Chloe. Chloe was always home to her. Whenever she was with the redhead, she would always felt safe and complete._

_“Well, you still haven’t answered my question, Mitchell!” Chloe squeezed her hand inside Beca’s pocket, resting her head on Beca’s shoulder._

_“Let’s see, it’s rather cold, and there are often too many people on the street, you know how much I hate being in crowded space…” Beca stole a glance at the redhead, seeing a small pout started to form on her girlfriend’s lips, which she just wanted to kiss away. But she continued, “But what can I say, my favourite thing about this city is a redhead who has ice cold hands and is currently trying to steal some of my pocket warmth away from my hand.”_

_Chloe looked up at Beca, grinning._

_Beca smiled at her, “And this one thing alone makes everything else irrelevant. So, to you question, I guess my answer would be I love it, but not as much as I love you.” She leaned down to place a kiss on the redhead’s forehead._

_Chloe closed her eyes when she felt Beca’s lips on her forehead and sighed happily, burying her face further into Beca’s neck so the brunette wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes._

_“Sometimes, I feel like you are not from this planet.” Chloe said, “And sometimes you say the cheesiest thing in the world but you don’t even like cheesy movies!”_

_Beca chuckled, “Guess I must be a natural huh?” Beca squeezed Chloe’s hand in her pocket, “But just for you Chlo.”_

_Chloe leaned up and kissed Beca before resting her head on her shoulder again._

_“But seriously, Chlo.” Beca said after a beat of comfortable silence, “Those cheesy stuff is just between you and me. If you tell people, I will end you.”_

_Chloe laughed, “Way to ruin the moment Mitchell!” She kissed Beca again, “I’m glad it’s just for me.”_

_When they were at a crossroad waiting for the traffic light, Chloe sneezed twice and started to shiver slightly. Beca noticed this. She opened her huge winter coat and grinned at the redhead, “Wanna get warm like sea otters with me?” She wiggled her eyebrows._

_Chloe laughed, before she jumped into Beca’s coat without hesitation, feeling Beca close the coat behind her back tightly. And the brunette’s huge coat covered them both perfectly._

_“You know, I’m starting to feel like you deliberately bring this coat here so you could do this.” Chloe hugged Beca tight and didn’t feel cold any more. These little gestures from Beca would always make her inside melt at how romantic they were, making her fall more and more in love with Beca._

_Beca smirked, “I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve, you haven’t seen nothing Beale.”_

_Chloe laughed, looking up at Beca, “I can’t wait.”_

_Beca looked down and grinned at Chloe, feeling that her heart almost hurt from how much she loved Chloe._

_Just when the traffic light changed and they broke apart, preparing to cross the street, they heard a quite loud car horn from their right side. Chloe looked over, and saw a few of her classmates in a shiny Maserati convertible._

_“Hey Chloe!” The guy who was driving the car yelled and waved at her._

_“Hi Tom.” Chloe nodded slightly at him and waved at her other classmates._

_Beca frowned and looked over as well. She saw a tall, nice-looking raven-haired guy sitting behind the steering wheel and grinning at Chloe like crazy._

_“Chloe, what are you doing outside this early in the morning? It’s really cold!” Tom asked._

_Chloe smiled politely, “Just taking my girlfriend for some sightseeing. She came to visit.” Chloe linked her fingers with Beca’s and slightly waved their intertwined hands at her classmates._

_Beca smirked, seeing Tom’s grin faltered a little._

_But then Tom just shrugged, “Okay, do you guys want to join us maybe? We are going to play mini-golf! It’s indoor so it wouldn’t be cold.” He offered._

_Chloe glanced at Beca, before saying, “Thanks Tom, we have other plans.”_

_Beca knew Chloe couldn’t stand the cold and judging from the previous sneezes, she knew if they continued to walk around in the frigid weather, the redhead would definitely catch a cold. So, she softly tugged at Chloe’s hand, “Chlo, it’s okay, I don’t mind. I wouldn’t want you to be in the cold for too long. You’ll definitely get sick.”_

_Chloe looked at her hesitantly, “Are you sure? I don’t mind being out here.” The redhead insisted, but soon followed by another two sneezes._

_Beca chuckled, “Really, now let’s get you to somewhere warm, okay?”_

_Chloe smiled at Beca and placed a quick peck on her lips, “You are the best.”_

_They then went over and got into Tom’s car before going to the mini-golf court together._

_~  
_

_This entire hanging-out-with-Chloe’s-classmates thing was miserable for Beca, but she didn’t show it since she could see the redhead was at least having some good time. First, that Tom dude was constantly flirting with her girlfriend. Beca was literally just sitting here! And she had to resist the urge to just go forward and punch the guy in the face. Fortunately, Chloe was trying her best to be polite and unresponsive to his constant flirting, which made Beca feel a little better. But still! What was that guy’s problem?! Second, this mini-golf court seemed quite luxurious and was apparently filled with rich people as well. Beca didn’t care about those stuff and she knew Chloe didn’t either. But she couldn’t help but still want to be able to give Chloe this type of life too. She knew Chloe would be just as happy walking around in the New York streets with her, but she wanted to be able to afford what other people could offer the redhead._

_And then, all those pressure came back and in less than 3 hours, she had to go back to her miserable job, leaving her anchor again. She suddenly wanted to cry, so she quietly walked to the bathroom and locked herself in one of the cubicles, tilting her head back to force back her tears. She couldn’t let them fall, since she knew Chloe would notice instantly if she cried. She wouldn’t want Chloe to worry. It was just her pathetic career and she was stuck._

_~_

_On the way to the airport, Chloe kept glancing at her girlfriend. Beca was awfully quiet after they left the mini-golf court. And she felt like something was bothering Beca. She asked Beca a few times about this, but the brunette would always say it was just because she was leaving her. Of course she would be sad._

_Although Chloe felt like there was more, Beca’s explanation made sense. She was sad too and after a few times asking if Beca was okay, she could see the brunette was getting a bit impatient. She wouldn’t want their last hours together to be spent in arguments, so she just dropped it, figuring if it was anything big, the brunette would come talk to her._


	13. Chapter 13

 

_Stacie walked into the apartment that she shared with her childhood best friend Beca. Normally this time, Beca would be in her room Skyping with Chloe. But today was different. The brunette was lying on the couch, face down, with a few empty beer bottles scattered around the coffee table._

_Stacie frowned, Beca usually wouldn’t drink that much. However, lately she caught Beca drinking quite frequently, often with a miserable face. And no matter how many times she asked Beca to talk to her, the stubborn brunette just wouldn’t say a word. She sighed, counting the beer bottles and wondering what happened this time. She put her bags down and moved to the couch to flip Beca over, seeing she was sleeping. Stacie sighed and started to pick up those beer bottles when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket._

_She put the bottles down and pulled out her phone, seeing it was Chloe. Again._

_Apparently lately Beca had been missing a lot of their Skype calls and she wouldn’t pick up her phone as well. Therefore, Chloe had to call Stacie to know what was going on so she wouldn’t worry. Stacie wanted to tell Chloe what was really going on, but one night, Beca basically broke down crying for an entire hour and begged her not to tell Chloe if the redhead ever called. Stacie had known Beca since they were 6. She was her best friend, of course she would cover for her. But Stacie got to know Chloe pretty well ever since the two had been dating. So she felt bad for lying to Chloe as well. She just hoped whatever problems Beca had, she could figure them out soon and get herself together._

_So, with a sigh, she picked up the phone. Chloe’s worried voice immediately came through. “Stacie? Is Beca home yet? She wouldn’t pick up the phone or the Skype calls.”_

_Stacie answered, “Yeah she’s home. I just got home actually and saw her asleep on the couch. Her phone and laptop are all in her room. So that’s probably why she didn’t hear you call her. It seems like work has been kicking her butt lately.”_

_“Oh, okay. Thanks Stacie.”_

_Stacie felt bad for lying, but hey, she didn’t exactly lie. She just left out the part that the reason why Beca was asleep was actually because she drank like what, 5 beers?_

_“Do you want me to wake her up so you can talk to her?” Stacie asked._

_“No, no, Stacie. That’s okay. Will you at least tell her that I called when she wakes up? And if she’s not too busy, maybe call me back?”_

_Stacie could tell the redhead was on the verge of tears. She sighed, “Of course I will, you take care Chloe. Bye.”_

_After ending the call with Chloe, Stacie looked back at the sleeping brunette, “You better get your shit together soon. This is not how you treat your girlfriend, especially someone like Chloe.” And with a sigh, she covered Beca with a blanket and went back into her own room._

* * *

 

 

Beca arrived at the bar and slammed her bag on the table before plopping herself down on one of the bar stools in a huff.

 

Fat Amy looked up from her spot behind the counter, unimpressed, “What now Mitchell?” She rolled her eyes slightly.

 

“Charlie!” Beca yelled.

 

“Who?” Fat Amy was confused, “Who’s Charlie?”

 

“My car Amy!! How can you not know my car’s name?!” Beca scolded.

 

“What? I thought only some teenagers would name their cars? Actually, scratch that, I’m not sure anyone still name their car nowadays.” Amy said, holding back her giggles.

 

Beca glared at Fat Amy, “Well, I still name my car okay? And Charlie broke down. Again!!”

 

Amy laughed, “Big deal? Get a ride for a few days until your Charlie comes back all attached.”

 

“Amy, you seem to forget I work basically like an owl. Who would give me a ride at 4am in the morning?!” Beca huffed, “And I have to go to the restaurant at 6pm with my guitar.”

 

“Don’t be dramatic Beca, and you seem to forget Jesse and I work the same hours as you at the bar. So we’ll take turns to give you a ride and as for the 6pm ride, I have the perfect person.” Amy smirked.

 

Beca watched suspiciously as Amy typed something on her phone and then looked back at the brunette, grinning suggestively. Beca’s eyes suddenly widened, “No, you didn’t! Please tell me you didn’t ask her?!!!”

 

Before Amy could reply, Beca’s phone chimed. She went to pick up her phone and saw a text message from Chloe.

 

**Beca! I can’t believe Amy had to go behind your back to ask me to give you a ride! I don’t mind really! And you are not the only one naming your car! Mine is Ed. (ps. Don’t tell Amy this or I won’t give you a ride anymore!) – C**

Beca laughed at the text but glared at Amy anyway, “I hate you so much.”

 

Amy grinned, “Thanks, I love you too! And you’ll thank me later superstar.” She winked.

 

Beca rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

At around 10:30pm, Chloe arrived at bar, without Aubrey this time. She had gotten along quite well with Jesse and Amy, plus she was comfortable around Beca anyway so she didn’t need Aubrey giving her unapproved looks all the time whenever she talked to Beca.

 

The brunette saw her coming in from the stage and smiled at her. Chloe smiled back and went over to her usual booth. Fat Amy had already gotten her drink ready on the table, so she just sat down in that corner booth, sipping her drink while listening to Beca’s soft voice contently.

 

Beca’s voice always gave her a sense of calm, peace and clarity. A chuckle, a giggle, a murmur, a squeal, a grunt. She loved all of them. And when Beca sang, her voice would grow more magical. She used to love falling asleep with Beca humming beside her, letting the brunette’s soft voice lure her into her sweet slumber, feeling warm and safe inside. Wherever she was, as long as she could hear Beca’s voice, she knew she would be okay. She just didn’t think that one day she wouldn’t be able to hear it anymore. And she was lost, trepid and perplexed, until she had to force herself to get used to life without Beca’s voice, without Beca. And she managed this life for 8 years. But now, now she got another chance to hear Beca’s voice again. How she wished she could still hear it every day, every night before she fell asleep, and every morning when she just woke up.

_5 unanswered Skype calls, 3 unanswered phone calls tonight. Chloe closed her laptop and sighed. Still no luck tonight apparently._

_She checked the date, it had been 27 days till now, that Beca ignored her calls in both forms. It had been 27 days that she hadn’t heard Beca’s voice, hadn’t heard the brunette told her she loved her or she missed her._

_And she chose the word ‘ignore’ because she finally stopped convincing herself that Beca was just really busy and forgot to call her back. Because she wasn’t even expecting some hour-long phone conversations. Even just a simple ‘good night’, even just for a second, she would take it. She just really needed to hear Beca’s voice. But Beca couldn’t even do that. She would sometimes text the redhead, saying something like she was busy or some occasional ‘good morning’ or ‘good night’ greetings. But they were hardly enough for the redhead. They weren’t communicating properly anymore and Chloe didn’t know what was wrong. Ever since Beca left New York, she had been really distant. Chloe wished she could go with her gut that day and refuse to let the brunette leave until she figured out what was really bothering Beca that day and maybe found some clues. Was it something that she did? Or was it something that she said? She wanted to ask Beca, and if it was something she could fix, she would drop everything to fix it. But Beca wouldn’t even give her an opportunity to know what went wrong._

_So, there was only one explanation. Beca was avoiding her or ignoring her._

_Chloe teared up at the thought and had to mentally stop herself continuing to think worse scenarios._

_Was there someone else? No, Beca wouldn’t do that to her. Right? Right… But she hadn’t talked to the brunette in nearly a month after all. A lot of things could happen in one month._

_Tears started to stream down Chloe’s face. She just wanted to know what was wrong so she could fix it! She felt helpless, like she had all the powerful tools at hand, but she could only stand there, watching a skyscraper collapse brick by brick helplessly. She couldn’t use all those tools that she had because she didn’t even know what was causing the collapse._

_Chloe wiped her tears, and went to pick up the guitar that Beca gave her, hugging it tight. These 27 days without Beca’s voice, she went to sleep with Beca’s guitar every day. And she had probably stroked the engraving ten thousand times in order to remind herself what it said was true. But she was terrified at same time that if she stroked it too much it would disappear. What would it mean if the engraving blurred, or disappeared one day?_

_Chloe couldn’t take it anymore. She had to see Beca. She had to know what was wrong._

_She opened her laptop and booked a plane ticket that weekend to go back. Even if it was just for one day, if she could fix their relationship, it would be worth it._

_And since Beca hadn’t bothered to pick up any of her calls yet, Chloe couldn’t exactly tell her she was coming back. She thought about texting the brunette, but eventually decided against it. She wanted to surprise Beca. And she wanted to play something on her guitar for the brunette for once, a melody she wrote during these 27 days while missing Beca’s angelic voice, while missing Beca._

_Chloe was passionate about music and she had a decent voice, but she knew she was never as good as Beca, which the brunette disagreed strongly. Sure, sometimes certain melodies would randomly appear in her mind and she would hum them out, but she never thought too much about them and would forget about them shortly after. Beca had caught her doing so a few times and gotten really excited after learning those were her own tunes. She then told Chloe that they should write a song together, with Chloe composing and Beca writing the lyrics. Chloe laughed, but seeing the sparks in her girlfriend’s eyes, she agreed and started to jot down the tunes whenever they decided to appear in her mind. But usually they were all fragments and would never make it to a complete song. This time, it was different, she actually finished it. A song which she didn’t have a name for, but she thought she would leave that to Beca. Although it sounded like a sad song, but it would be their song. And she couldn’t help but become hopeful imagining Beca’s reaction to it, imagining the glint of excitement she may see in Beca’s soft stormy-blue eyes._

* * *

 

 

Beca finished the song and went off the stage to take a break. She walked towards the redhead and sat down next to her.

 

“Hey, what are you thinking?” Beca asked, sipping her water.

 

“Nothing.” Chloe offered her a small smile. She stirred her drink, “Have you tried this special long island iced tea that Amy newly developed? It’s really good! Usually I would go with her Moscow Mule and I thought that was good. But this is something else!” Chloe pushed the glass towards Beca.

 

Beca smiled a little, “Yeah I don’t doubt it, Amy always says she’s the best bartender in Tasmania so…” She pushed the glass back to Chloe.

 

Chloe pouted a little, “Oh come on, just a sip. You know they say alcohol can stimulate a musician’s senses. One sip wouldn’t make you tipsy anyway.”

 

“Actually, Chlo, I just don’t drink anymore. I’ve been sober for almost 8 years now.” Beca said softly.

 

Chloe was surprised at hearing this, “Oh, Beca… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed.”

 

“That’s okay, you didn’t know.”

 

Chloe didn’t know what to say. She wanted to ask Beca what happened. But when she finally gathered the courage to ask, she was interrupted by someone sliding into their booth. And she felt Beca stiffen next to her.

 

Chloe looked up, frowning to see a pretty blonde woman sporting a huge grin sitting at the opposite of them. She had a pair of hazel eyes with a chic choppy bob, and was wearing a red leather jacket with jeans, while stepping on a pair of black heels. Chloe was confused and noticed that the blonde wasn’t even looking at her at all. She was staring at Beca intently with her stupid grin.

 

“Olivia.” Beca said through gritted teeth, emotionlessly.

 

“Beca Mitchell.” The woman’s smile grew even wider, “And they say this bar has a really good singer, never thought I’d bump into your cute little butt again.”

 

Chloe frowned. What was with that tone? And who was this woman that just straight up ignored her?!

 

“Actually, Olivia, shouldn’t you be in some club in LA? Bars in New York aren’t really your scene you know.” Beca replied plainly.

 

Olivia pouted, “Stop calling me Olivia, you know I love it when you call me Liv.” She then winked at Beca.

 

“Olivia, if you don’t mind, my friend and I have a conversation to continue. It’s rude to disrupt and just slide into other people’s booth.” Beca said coldly.

 

Olivia frowned and finally turned her attention towards Chloe. She eyed Chloe for a few seconds, before looking back at Beca, “Well, aren’t you gonna introduce us? Bec? Is she an artist too?”

 

“No, she’s not. And there’s no need for introductions, it’s not like you need anyone’s names anyway.” Beca said.

 

Olivia frowned, “Come on Bec, no hard feelings okay? I offered you your share, you chose not to take it. And I just want to let you know that if you ever change your mind, you can always come back you know.”

 

“No need.” Beca said, standing up.

 

“Beca don’t be naïve, look at you now. You shouldn’t be singing at some random bar. You could have already moved into some beach house in Malibu by now if you were still with us.” Olivia tried again.

 

Beca just gave her another cold look. She took Chloe’s hand and dragged her up as well. “Come on Chlo, let’s go.” Chloe nodded, and quietly walked out of the booth with Beca and into the back room.

 

Once the door was closed, Chloe was just about to launch into a thousand questions, but when she turned around and saw the brunette, she instantly shut her mouth and quickly moved to stand in front of her.

 

Contrary to the cold and collected self that Beca just showed outside, now, the brunette was leaning against the wall, her hands were shaking slightly and she was trying hard to control her breaths. Out of instinct or habit, Chloe immediately grabbed Beca’s hands and held them in front of her, “Hey it’s okay, Beca. Breathe, it’s okay.”

 

She continued to whisper to Beca, helping her clam down. After a few minutes, Beca seemed to be breathing normally again. She looked up at the redhead’s concerned eyes and offered her a small smile.

 

“Thanks, Chloe… I know you probably want some answers…” Beca trailed off, “Tomorrow is your day off, isn’t it?” She asked. After seeing Chloe nod, she continued, “Well, if you want to come over to my place at noon, we can have lunch together. I still need to thank you for agreeing to give me a ride so… and then I’ll tell you all about it I promise. But not tonight.”

 

“That’s okay, Beca. You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.”

 

“No, I want to.” Beca reassured, “Will you… will you come tomorrow?”

 

Chloe smiled, “Of course.”

 

Beca smiled back, “Can you let Jesse know that I kinda want to leave early today?”

 

Chloe nodded.

 

“Thanks.” Beca said, moving away.

 

“Wait,” Chloe said, “How are you gonna get home? Do you need a ride? I could—”

 

Beca interrupted her, “That’s okay Chloe, I want to walk around for a bit anyway and then I’ll just call a cab since I don’t have to carry my guitar around today. Thanks though.”

 

Chloe nodded. And when Beca didn’t move, she got a little confused. She looked at Beca and saw that the brunette was looking down at something while clearing her throat a little. Chloe followed Beca’s line of sight and looked down as well. And that’s when she suddenly realized she was still holding Beca’s hands.

 

She immediately dropped them, “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t—” Her cheeks were almost the same colour as her hair now.

 

Beca chuckled lightly, “That’s okay. Good night Chlo.” And with that, she left.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

Chloe parked outside Beca’s apartment building, before running a hand through her hair and taking in a deep breath. She stared at the building for a moment, and remembered the conversation she had with Aubrey in the cab the other day. She told her best friend that she knew what she was doing. But did she really? She said she and Beca were just friends. Well, did she mean by that? Was she maybe hoping for more? Chloe shook her head and stepped out of her car, deciding not to ponder over those thoughts for now.

 

Beca opened her apartment door and greeted the redhead with a smile, letting her in. Chloe walked in and was instantly met with the delicious aroma coming from Beca’s small open kitchen, which immediately made her feel hungry.

 

“What are you cooking? It smells great!” Chloe said excitedly.

 

Beca chuckled and closed the door, “Shrimp Fra Diavolo”. Then she seemed nervous, “I hope it’s still your favourite? If not, we can just have some mac and cheese, or I can order some pizza or Chinese food if you want—”

 

“It is, Beca.” Chloe reassured the nervous brunette and her heart swelled knowing Beca still remembered her favourite food after all these years.

 

Beca relaxed, and said, “Well, good. I’m almost done anyway. So do you want to go and wait in the living room? I hope it’s okay that we eat in the living room since I don’t have a dining table and all?”

 

Chloe nodded, and went to the living room to sit on the couch.

 

She took off her jacket and looked around at Beca’s apartment. It was not big but quite cosy. There were heaps of manuscripts scattered all over the coffee table. Some were filled with music notations and some with lines of words which she figured would be lyrics. Chloe smiled at the sight and could already imagine the brunette writing raptly and furiously on the table. Her eyes continued to roam around the table and then something on the corner caught her attention. It was a thick notebook filled with even more pieces of sheet music. But there was a small part of a yellowed and wrinkled sheet peeking out in between the pages. Chloe stared at it for a while and suddenly had a hunch of what it was. Her heart started pounding so hard that she could hear nothing but her own heartbeats.

 

She looked over at the kitchen and saw that Beca was still busy with the sauce. So she turned her head back around and stared at that yellowed sheet again, finally reaching out a hesitant and slightly trembling hand to draw it out.

 

She was right.

 

It was the unnamed song that she wrote 8 years ago.

 

The only difference was, now there were lyrics under the music notes.

 

 

_Chloe arrived at Beca and Stacie’s apartment at 6pm. She took in a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door. There was no one answering. She waited for a few minutes and knocked a little harder this time. Still no answer._

_Chloe was a little disappointed, but decided to try the door handle before she called the brunette. To her surprise, the door was unlocked._

_So she stepped in, making a mental note to remind the two girls to lock their door whenever they left the apartment to be safe. She had been in the apartment before she left for New York, so she figured she should just go to Beca’s room to wait for her._

_She walked past the hallway and reached Beca’s room. The moment she opened the brunette’s room door, she was met with a strong alcohol smell. She frowned and scrunched up her nose, scanning the room and seeing her girlfriend passed out in bed, face down and completely unaware of her surroundings, with an empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s sitting on the ground beside her bed._

_~_

_Beca didn’t usually drink whiskey. Even though she started drinking quite often lately, she normally just went with some good old beers. But today, she really needed something strong._

_Her boss had started to let her into some recording studios for chores. At first, she was ecstatic, thinking she finally got to see some actions and perhaps her boss might even give her something related to music production to do. However, her hopes were soon shattered._

_Because the only chores she got to do were taking coffee orders still, and playing the accompaniments for some snobbish artist._

_That artist was someone that the label was trying to promote recently, who apparently had a powerful and wealthy family background. And he demanded to have live guitar accompaniments for his recording sessions instead of playing the recordings. However, other staff at the label were all busy with their respective work and Beca was the only intern who can play the guitar, so here she was._

_The artist’s voice was okay, but he would always mess up the tempo in one part of the song that they were recording for today. After the 7th failed attempt, he turned to Beca who was sitting behind him in the corner of the recording booth and yelled, “What the hell?! Can you focus and get the tempo right? What is your problem?!”_

_Beca couldn’t believe him. She played the piece perfectly, and she didn’t even roll her eyes when he kept getting the tempo wrong. Now she was the one getting yelled at?!_

_“I played perfectly fine.” She said, holding back her anger._

_“Well, then why did I keep getting it wrong? Are you trying to sabotage this song for me? News flash, this is as far as you go in your career. Don’t think for a second that you’ll get to be some overnight success. Nobodies like you would never make it. And sabotaging other artists is just low. So you better behave or I’m telling boss how you’ve been slowing down the recording progress!”_

_Beca was clenching her fists, tears in her eyes. She turned her head to look at the producers sitting over at the other side of the studio window. Surely they could hear she was playing the guitar perfectly fine and it was him that had been missing the tempo. But no one was even looking at her, let alone sticking up for her. So she turned back around without a word, swallowing the lump in her throat and forcing back her tears._

_The artist glared at her in disdain and turned around. When the producer’s cold voice ‘Again!’ sounded through the speaker, Beca closed her eyes, feeling nothing but hopelessness and she just hated her life at that moment._

_~_

 

_Chloe walked over to her girlfriend, frowning. Beca was never a drinker, why would she need to gulp down a whole bottle of whiskey? She instantly became worried. She flipped the brunette over carefully and her heart broke seeing that the brunette’s face was bathed with tear stains and even in her sleep, there was a touch of despair. She wiped the tears on her girlfriend’s face softly and watched her for a while. She had no clue what happened and she hated that she wasn’t here to comfort the brunette. But she was here now and she would find out. Then she would hug her tight, and everything would be okay. They would be okay._

_Just when Chloe was about to go to the kitchen to get some water for her girlfriend, Beca stirred in her sleep, and eventually opened her eyes. Seeing a flash of red hair, she looked confused for a few seconds. And then when she recognized Chloe’s face, she blinked._

_“Chloe?” She slurred and slowly sat up, “What are you doing here?”_

_Chloe smiled at her, “You haven’t been picking up my calls, so I thought I’d fly back and surprise you. Surprise!” She tried to lighten the mood, but when she saw Beca didn’t even flash a smile, her own smile dropped as well._

_“Yeah… sorry about that.” The brunette murmured, “I’ve been busy.”_

_Chloe nodded, moving to sit next to Beca on the bed, “It’s okay.” She bit her lip, “Are you okay?”_

_Beca nodded, “Yeah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”_

_Chloe decided to push a little, “It didn’t look like nothing. I know you, you don’t drink this much… Do you maybe want to talk about it? Did something happen at work?”_

_“Nothing happened. How long will you be staying?” Beca tried to change the topic, averting her eyes from Chloe’s because she knew she would definitely break down looking into the redhead’s eyes even just for one more second._

_“Just for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll have to go back since I have class on Monday.” Chloe answered._

_“Oh, okay. So what do you want to do then?” Beca was a little disappointed._

_Chloe looked at Beca carefully, watching her subtly sniffle. This definitely didn’t look like nothing. And why wouldn’t Beca talk to her?! She knew the brunette was guarded to most people, but never to her! Why wouldn’t she want to talk to her own girlfriend and instead trying to push her away?!_

_Chloe had to find out what was wrong, so she asked again, “Beca, you know you can tell me anything. What happened? Was it something at work? Or is this about your demos? I told you, you don’t need to worry, they’ll get back to you. You just got to be patient. Someone will see how talented you are.”_

_And that was it. That was the ignition._

_What was it with Chloe? Why did she always believe in the brunette so much? Because apparently nobody else did. And if it weren’t for Chloe, maybe Beca wouldn’t be so hopeful in the first place and then get slammed into the ground so hard. She was confident sure, but she was always realistic and a little pessimistic. So if Chloe didn’t spur her on, she wouldn’t be feeling like this right now. Because having her hope shattered sucked. And if no one believed in her in the first place, it wouldn’t matter this much. She would just get used to it and her heart wouldn’t hurt this much._

_Beca had had enough. She couldn’t hear the redhead say one more word about how talented she was. Because she wasn’t. She jumped out of her bed abruptly, startling the redhead._

_“Stop. I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Beca raised her voice a little but she was trying really hard to control her volume and her frustration, feeling her head was going to explode._

_“So it is about your demos? What happened? Talk to me Becs!” Chloe pushed._

_“Just drop it Chloe okay? Nothing happened I already told you!” Beca answered, on the verge of tears._

_Chloe let out a frustrated sigh, but seeing Beca was getting upset, she decided to try later and change the topic for now._

_“Fine, but I’m not letting this go. We’ll talk about it later. I have a surprise for you though.” She stood up, picking up the guitar that she brought with her and pulling a sheet out of her bag, before sitting back down on the bed._

_“Remember you said that we should write a song together? Well guess what, I finally get to finish a whole song! But it’s just the melody, I’ll leave the lyrics and the song title to you. I’m hoping you make this a top-10 hit okay? And I know I’m not an expert in song-writing like you, so if you want to change anything in the melody, please do—”_

_“JUST SHUT UP CHLOE! WILL YOU PLEASE STOP SAYING THAT?!!!” Beca couldn’t take it anymore, she couldn’t look at Chloe’s expectant eyes anymore and listen to her saying how she was an ‘expert’ in song-writing. Apparently only Chloe would still think that._

_“Excuse me?” Chloe was shocked, gaping at Beca._

_“Sorry to disappoint but I can’t make a top-10 hit for you! I’m just an intern! And I’m not some expert in song-writing either! So will you please stop saying that?!” Beca said through gritted teeth, eyes brimming heavy with tears._

_“I’m only joking Beca and—”_

_“And congratulations to you for finding an inspiration to finish a damn song but I don’t have lyrics at hand to give you.”_

_“I don’t need lyrics now Beca, I just want you to have it and you can fill in the lyrics whenever you feel like it. It was meant to be our—”_

_“Well I don’t think I’ll have time to fill in the lyrics for you! I myself haven’t written a damn song in 2 months for god’s sake! Don’t you see?! Work has been keeping me busy lately!”_

_Tears were falling down Chloe’s cheeks now, she clenched the piece of paper, “Yes I can see that since you haven’t been picking up my calls for a month!”_

_Beca didn’t respond at that._

_The two fell into a silence, with the only sound in the room being Chloe’s quiet sniffling._

_“Will you just take it?” Chloe finally broke the silence, extending her arm with the sheet music in hand for Beca to take, “I don’t care whether it has lyrics or not. It was written for you, so please just take it. And maybe if you play it you’ll just find the words. You always do.”_

_Beca snatched the sheet from Chloe’s hand and scrunched it up before tossing it to the side of the room, “Stop saying that! STOP BELIEVING IN ME!” she yelled, tears streaming down her face now._

_Chloe was stunned and was at a loss for words. She felt like she didn’t even recognize this person before her. Where was her Beca? The one that used to hold her cold hands in her jacket pocket; the one who would always know when Chloe was feeling upset and would drop everything to kiss her, sing to her and cheer her up; the one that hated watching movies or dancing but would do all those things for Chloe; the one who may even know Chloe better than herself. Where was that person?_

_She raised up her hand to wipe some tears from her own cheeks but when she dropped it, she accidentally hit the strings on the guitar that was sitting on her lap, causing a few discordant sounds. Beca visibly cringed and snapped her eyes back to look at Chloe._

_Seeing the redhead’s tear-stained face, Beca sighed, closing her eyes, “Just go Chloe. Take that stupid guitar and go. Get some rest before your class on Monday.” She knew if Chloe stayed, she might say some more hurtful words to the redhead._

_Chloe stared at her in disbelief. After seeing Beca really meant it and wouldn’t even look at her anymore. She nodded silently, and walked out of the brunette’s room without a word, with the guitar clutched in her hand._

_Hearing the front door slammed shut, Beca felt like her heart was ripped out. She fell onto her knees in the middle of her room and started crying her eyes out._

_What had she done?_

* * *

 

“Lunch’s almost ready! Chloe can you clear a space on the table? Don’t worry about the sheets, just stack them and put them away. Sorry I should’ve cleared them away beforehand!” Beca called from the kitchen.

 

Chloe blinked, she quickly put the yellowed paper back, wiped away a few escaped tears from her eyes and did what Beca told her to do.

 

Beca walked in to the living room with one bowl of pasta in each hand, “I haven’t cooked this in quite a long time, but I think they are edible.” She joked, “Hey, what do you want to drink? Since I don’t drink alcohol anymore, I only have water, apple juice and soda…” She trailed off and frowned. _The redhead seemed off._

Beca walked cautiously towards the redhead and put the bowls down on the table that Chloe just cleared up. “Well, do you want anything to drink?” She asked again.

 

“Water’s fine. Thanks, Beca.”

 

Beca nodded and walked back to her fridge, taking out two bottles of water before going back to sit down next to the redhead, handing her the water.

 

Chloe offered her a small smile before reaching out to take a bowl of pasta on the coffee table and digging in. Beca looked at her for a second, and went to grab her bowl on the table as well, thinking she must have been paranoid.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh my God! This is really good Beca!” Chloe exclaimed with a mouthful of pasta.

 

Beca chuckled, “Thanks.”

 

“Oh my God!” The redhead was still in awe, “Who knew you are such a good chef now? Now I don’t want to eat takeout anymore! You’ve ruined them for me! Can I camp outside your apartment from now on?”

 

Beca laughed, “You know you can come here to eat at any time! I’ll feed you anything you want.”

 

Chloe smirked, “Anything?”

 

Beca looked at her suspiciously, before shrugging, “Well yeah, if I know how to cook them of course.”

 

“Then next time I want a raspberry pink velvet cake.” Chloe said innocently. She knew that Beca knew how to bake this cake. Because it was her that forced the brunette to learn so that they could bake one for the redhead’s 18th birthday.

 

Beca shuddered involuntarily and stared at Chloe with a horrified look in her eyes, “You… what now?”

 

Chloe shrugged, “You heard it. And I know you can bake that cake missy, so don’t tell me otherwise.”

 

Beca groaned, rolling her eyes, “God not again! I see what you did there Beale! You just want to see me buying pink food colouring in the supermarket, don’t you?”

 

Chloe giggled, “No I just think it’s a really pretty cake. And you buying all those pink ingredients for the cake is just a bonus.”

 

Beca sighed loudly, “You are going to be the death of me Beale!”

 

Chloe smiled and put down her bowl. She looked to be contemplating something for a few seconds, before she asked, “So what happened? With that woman from yesterday?”

 

Beca looked up at her, putting her bowl down as well. She knew she couldn’t avoid this question forever, so she’d better get it over with. She took a deep breath before telling the story.

 

“I went to LA about 6 years ago. At first, I was just doing some gigs at a few clubs. You know, singing and sometimes spinning as a DJ. And about 2 years ago, Olivia approached me and said her record label was looking for new talents and song writers. So of course, I was so happy and thought I was finally getting my big break. Then, she said I could only work in administration first because the label needed to see some solid work before signing me as an artist. Of course I accepted. And she did let me record a few songs that I was writing, but I should’ve been alarmed when she never let me use the label’s recording studios, only her studio at home.”

 

Beca laughed bitterly, shaking her head slightly before continuing, “Anyway, I finished 3 new songs in probably a year’s time and I was really happy about them. If not at a releasing level, at least they were some really good demos. And sometimes Olivia would ask me to help with her own productions as well. But again, never at the record label of course. At first, I would just help with some small stuff here and there, nothing major so I didn’t think too much about it. However, later, she started to ask me to help rewrite the tunes or tweak the lyrics. I began to feel unsure because I felt like I was taking some roles in production. So I asked her about it one day, she said they needed some big names in order to sell the songs but she promised she would put my name in the production credits somewhere in the end to acknowledge my inputs.”

 

Beca’s voice was shaking a bit, she paused for a few seconds, and decided to get this story over with quickly, “Then one day I went to this club and suddenly I heard my song coming through the sound system but I wasn’t the one singing it. So I immediately called her and it turned out some artist that the label was promoting back then really liked it so Olivia just gave the song to her, along with the other two songs I wrote. I checked the production and the song-writing credits, but neither had my name on it. And I didn’t even need to check the other songs that I helped her with to know that they didn’t have my name on them as well. She offered to give me my share of the profits as if I was the song-writer, just minus the acknowledgement of my actual inputs in those songs. But I refused and left the label. And apparently, she was worried that I might go around spreading rumours. After all, reputation is quite important in this industry. So she badmouthed me first. And that’s why I left LA and came here.”

 

Beca let out a sigh of relief, glad that she finally got it over with. When she didn’t hear any responses from Chloe, she looked up to see the redhead was shaking with anger.

 

“Chloe? Are you okay?” Beca asked, a little confused.

 

“Beca! She can’t just steal your songs! Did you consider suing her or something?!” Chloe was furious. If she had known, she would have punched that woman in the face yesterday.

 

“Yeah, I thought about that, but pretty much everything I did was off-the-record, so it would probably take years to sue her, not to mention the label has some influential and powerful connections in the city. I don’t have the time, or the money for a lawsuit like this. Instead of wasting my time on a case that I might not even win, I could use the time to find other opportunities.” Beca explained.

 

“That’s not right Beca! They were your songs! You know, Aubrey is a really good lawyer and if I ask her perhaps she can—” Chloe wasn’t convinced by Beca’s words.

 

“Chloe, it’s okay.” Beca cut her off, “I’ve decided to let it go. They were just 3 songs. I’ll write other songs. Besides, I’ve made my peace with it. I’m just not good enough and I’ve accepted it. It’s okay.”

 

Chloe’s heart broke a little at hearing this. She looked into Beca’s eyes, realizing that the brunette really meant what she said. Other people might not be able to tell, but Chloe knew, she could see the hints of sorrow and resignation in the brunette’s eyes even though she masked them really well. She suddenly wanted to hug Beca. She wanted to hold the brunette in her arms and tell her to just hang on a little longer, to not give up and everything would be okay. But she didn’t. She just sat there, watching Beca give her a sad smile and her heart hurt for Beca. Because the brunette used to be so confident and so carefree. Her eyes would sparkle whenever she talked about the future, about all the possibilities and all the cities she wanted to visit. But now, she felt like life had smoothed out the brunette’s edges and made her a little bit more reserved yet a little bit stronger all at the same time.

 

Beca looked at the redhead’s sad expression and felt like she needed to reassure her somehow. So she added, “Later I found out that Olivia had done this with plenty of new artists, but most of them would just take the money and wait until they were financially capable enough so that they could leave the label and make names of themselves. But it just wouldn’t feel the same. I just want to be able to do this properly without all the schemes you know?”

 

Chloe smiled, “I know. I’m proud of you.”

 

“For what?”

 

“For sticking to your dream, for doing what you believe is right, and for telling me this.” Chloe said.

 

Beca smiled and slightly nodded. “Thanks for listening too. I guess the reason why I missed all the red flags and just dived in blindly was that when I met Olivia, I thought I had finally found another person who believed in me like—” She suddenly shut her mouth when she realized what she was going to say.

 

“Like what?” Chloe asked curiously.

 

Beca looked down for a few seconds, before looking back up and locking eyes with Chloe, “Like you.” She whispered, “No one’s ever believed in me like you did, Chloe. So thank you, for that.”

 

Chloe fought back the tears in her eyes, and smiled at Beca, “I still do. You know, believe in you.”

 

Beca just gave her a sad smile and nodded.

 

“Well, looks like we still have 3 hours before we have to go,” She checked the time, “Do you wanna watch a movie or something?”

 

Chloe pretended to think it over, “Sure, but only if you let me pick the movie.”

 

“Gladly.” Beca grinned, grabbing her laptop and handing it over to Chloe.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is Echo by Jason Walker. Have a listen while you are reading if you like, I think it goes with the chapter quite well :)

 

They were watching an indie movie that Chloe picked with their feet up on the coffee table. Chloe turned her head to the side, wanting to tell Beca some trivia she remembered about this movie, but found that the brunette was already asleep with her head resting on the back of the couch.

 

Chloe chuckled. _So much for tolerating them, still falling asleep after 30 minutes._ She thought, but went to grab the blanket from the back of the couch and softly draped it over Beca. After tucking it around her, Chloe couldn’t help but stare at Beca for a lingering moment. She knew she shouldn’t, but she just couldn’t help herself. After all these year, Beca still looked as beautiful as ever, if not more. Her brown locks fell perfectly around her face and she looked so peaceful in her sleep. It was almost like nothing had changed, that they were 17 years old again, and Beca fell asleep while they were watching a movie. The only difference was that Beca was no longer in her arms. Chloe looked away at this thought and tried to focus back on the movie playing on the laptop, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. She didn’t want to think about her feelings towards Beca, if she still had any, not at this moment.

 

 

_Stacie stepped into the apartment but was startled by a redhead rushing out from the hallway. She relaxed seeing it was Chloe, but frowned when she noticed that the redhead’s face was covered with tears._

_“Chl—”_

_The redhead didn’t even bother to give her a glance. She made a beeline for the front door and before Stacie even finished saying her name, she slammed the door shut and was gone._

_Stacie stood in the middle of the living room, stunned. “What just happened?” She blinked and heard some faint sobs coming from Beca’s bedroom. “Oh no.” She sighed, quickly making her way to Beca’s room._

_She was met with a sobbing mess collapsed on the floor when she entered Beca’s bedroom. She rushed to her best friend and kneeled down in front of the small brunette._

_“Beca? What happened?” She asked, putting a hand on the brunette’s shoulder._

_Beca looked up at her with desperate eyes, lost and filled with tears. “I… I screwed up…”_

_“What did you do?” Stacie asked, and when Beca didn’t answer, she raised her voice, “Beca! What did you do?”_

_“I… Chloe came back to surprise me and sh-she tried to give me this song she w-wrote for me and I…” Beca choked back a sob, “I’ve had a really bad day at work today Stacie, and I… I basically threw the song away, then yelled in her face and told her to get lost.”_

_Stacie dropped her hand on the brunette’s shoulder, looking at her in disbelief. Then she spotted the empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s on the ground and she snapped. She had had enough of Beca’s crap lately as well._

_“What is wrong with you Beca? Are you stupid or something? Do you not realize that Chloe is probably the best thing that has ever happened to you in your life so far? She makes you better in every way, makes you believe in your music, gives you inspirations and so many more! Why are you pushing away the best thing in your life?! She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this! Do you know how many times I had to lie to Chloe in the past month to cover for you because you were passed out on the couch or in your room, drunk, again?! It’s not her fault that you are unhappy with your job Beca! And I hope you are happy now, because you probably just destroyed your relationship!!!”_

_Beca’s small body jerked in recoil from the loud volume of Stacie’s outburst and she cried harder. Because Stacie was right. Every word. She was stupid, she pushed away the one good thing in her life. And she was terrified that she may never get it back._

 

 

Beca stirred and fluttered her eyes open, smiling when she saw the blanket draped over her body. She sat up and saw that the redhead was sitting on the other end of the couch, hugging her knees and deep in thought.

 

“Well the movie was good.” She said to Chloe.

 

Chloe looked up at her and chuckled lightly, “More like the first 30 minutes of the movie to you.”

 

Beca put the blanket aside and smiled, “Yeah… sorry about falling asleep.” She checked her phone and saw that they still had one hour left before she had to go to the restaurant. “Well, only one hour left, what do you want to do?”

 

Chloe was biting her bottom lip nervously. She looked hesitant, before she finally decided to speak, “Beca… can I ask you something?”

 

Beca answered without a second thought, “Sure, what is it?”

 

“You finished our song.” Chloe whispered softly.

 

Beca froze. Then she saw her notebook on the coffee table and closed her eyes briefly. _Chloe found the song._

“Yes, I did.” She answered.

 

“Would you… would you play it for me?” Chloe asked, looking down.

 

Beca let out a sigh, “Chloe…”

 

“Please? Beca. I want to hear it.” Chloe whispered, still looking down.

 

Beca watched the redhead for a moment. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to play that song for Chloe. But…

 

After what seemed like a 10-minute silence, Beca finally gave in. But instead of grabbing her guitar sitting next to the couch, she stood up and walked to the other side of the living room where her piano was. She sat down on the bench.

 

“Your melody was beautiful. I didn’t change a single thing. The only thing I did was playing it with the piano instead of the guitar. I think it’s better.”

 

Chloe nodded, even though Beca couldn’t see her because the piano was behind the couch so Beca had her back to Chloe.

 

Beca ran a hand through her hair and let out a trembling breath, before placing her hands on the keys and starting to play.

 

As soon as the first few notes flowed from Beca’s fingers, Chloe instantly agreed. It was better, with the piano. And then Beca started to sing the words. The words she filled in to go with Chloe’s melody.

 

 

_Hello, hello_

_Anybody out there? Cause I don't hear a sound_

_Alone, alone_

_I don't really know where the world is but I miss it now_

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name_

_Like a fool at the top of my lungs_

_Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright_

_But it's never enough_

_Cause my echo, echo_

_Is the only voice coming back_

_My shadow, shadow_

_Is the only friend that I have_

_  
_

 

Beca hadn’t played this song in a while, but she knew it too well like the back of her hand. And not even five seconds into the song, old memories and overwhelming feelings started to come back. They always did when she played this song. And they hurt so much, every time, but she just couldn’t stop playing.

 

 

_After Stacie was done yelling at the sobbing brunette, she sighed and went to the kitchen to grab a strip of Aspirin and a glass of water before going back to Beca’s room. She tossed the strip at Beca and slammed the glass on her table, before walking out without a word._

_Beca didn’t flinch, she felt numb. She just stared blankly into space, while tears continued to silently roll down her face. she wondered for a moment why she still had any more tears to shed, because she had never cried so hard in her life and didn’t even know she was capable of producing so many tears._

_Suddenly, she jumped, remembering something and starting to frantically search around her room on her knees for that piece of paper she threw out, the song that Chloe wrote for her, which was supposed to be their song._

_She grew desperate when she couldn’t find it and angrily burst into a fresh round of sobbing. She knocked over a few things here and there but she didn’t care, she had to find it. Now Where was it?! After a 10-minute inch-by-inch search, she finally found the crumpled ball of paper at a corner under her bedside table. She quickly smoothed it out and eagerly read the music on it._

_It was a sad song. Now how ironic was that? Beca sat back on the ground and wanted to slap herself. She looked at the sheet music again, before jumping up and grabbing her phone to call Chloe. She needed to fix it, whatever it took. She couldn’t lose her anchor, she just couldn’t._

_But the redhead didn’t answer._

_No surprise there._

_~_

_3 days later, Chloe still wouldn’t answer her calls. Beca sighed, hanging up the phone after another unsuccessful try. She didn’t know what to do now. And she hated herself for avoiding Chloe’s calls before because now she knew how it felt like. However, she didn’t have any right to be upset about it. She was the one that messed up in the first place._

_During these 3 days, Beca filled in the words to their song and probably played it a thousand times already. Chloe’s melody was beautiful with the guitar, but Beca soon found out that it sounded even better with the piano. She felt proud that Chloe was able to write such a beautiful song, but in the meantime, she wanted to kick herself because she didn’t want Chloe’s first song to be a sad song. She always thought Chloe would write something brisk and cute, that was full of sunshine and would make anyone smile just hearing it. But now she was the one that made Chloe write a sad song. She was the one that made Chloe sad._

_Beca sighed, she went to her drawer to retrieve her lyrics notebook, but froze when she saw a small jewellery box, sitting quietly in the corner of the drawer. She took it out and touched it softly. It was her grandma’s engagement ring that she almost forgot she had it with her. When she graduated high school and came out to her grandma, she gave Beca this ring and winked at her, saying she would need it someday._

_She opened it and admired the ring for a while. It was a vintage rose gold ring, with a round cut diamond in the middle, simple yet elegant. She couldn’t help but imagine how Chloe would look wearing this ring and smiled to herself. Actually, she had imagined this image a lot ever since she got the ring and to be honest, she really couldn’t see anyone else but Chloe wear this ring. But then her smile dropped and it hit her._

_How could she be so stupid? It was always Chloe. It would always be Chloe. Sure, she took her career very seriously and wanted to make a name for herself. But if she was asked to choose between them, it would always be Chloe. Because Chloe was the one that kept her grounded, that kept her dreaming, making her feel loved and less alone in this wild world. Chloe was the one that Beca wanted to spend the rest of her life with, the one that she wanted to laugh, cry and experience every emotion with. And she just couldn’t imagine life without Chloe, her anchor and her everything._

_Beca closed the ring box, put it into her pocket and quickly went to gather a few things into her travel bag. After she was done, she grabbed the song on her piano and rushed out of her room, shouting to Stacie on her way out of the apartment._

_“Stacie, I’m going to New York and I’m proposing to Chloe!”_

* * *

Beca blinked and took in a deep breath, before beginning the second verse. She needed to get it together to finish this song. She wouldn’t let herself cry, not this time.

 

_  
_

_Listen, listen_

_I would take a whisper if that's all you had to give_

_But it isn't, isn't_

_You could come and save me and try to chase the crazy right out of my head_

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name_

_Like a fool at the top of my lungs_

_Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright_

_But it's never enough_

_Cause my echo, echo_

_Is the only voice coming back_

_My shadow, shadow_

_Is the only friend that I have_

_  
_

_Beca went to Chloe’s dorm straight after arriving in New York. She didn’t know if Chloe would be back from class already because the redhead wouldn’t pick up her calls. When she reached Chloe’s dorm building, she suddenly grew nervous thinking about what she was going to do. What if Chloe said no? What if she was still mad at her and wouldn’t even see her? Beca felt like she was going to faint. She stopped in her tracks to take a few deep breaths, and when she looked around, she saw a small convenience store near the building. She hesitated for a few seconds, before deciding to go into the store to buy herself a beer, thinking she could use a little more courage so that she wouldn’t back out._

_She finished the beer quickly, and finally walked into the building, reaching Chloe’s dorm room. She leaned closer to the door and listened, there didn’t seem to be any movements or sounds from inside the room. But she decided to knock anyway just in case._

_She didn’t even have time to panic before she heard footsteps and the door swung open, revealing a redhead with puffy red eyes standing before her._

_Chloe was surprised to see her, but she quickly changed into a neutral face looking at the nervous brunette._

_“Hi,” Beca said, a little awkwardly, “Can— can I come in?”_

_Chloe looked to be considering it, before she slowly moved out of the way to let the brunette in._

_Beca walked in and luckily, Chloe’s roommate wasn’t in the room. She looked back at the redhead, who was just carefully watching the brunette’s movements without saying a word, her arms crossed in front of her. So Beca began,_

_“I’m so sorry Chloe, for so many things.” She said, looking into Chloe’s eyes, “I’m sorry for avoiding your calls, I’m sorry for yelling at you, and I’m so sorry for throwing out the song, our song! I just— I was just in a dark place I guess and I shouldn’t take all my frustrations out on you. You’ve done nothing wrong. God, you’ve been nothing but amazing. But I’ve just been really miserable at work lately and I’ve started drinking… so I’m really sorry.”_

_“Is there someone else?” Chloe asked in a small voice after a beat of silence, not looking at Beca._

_“What?! No! Of course not! I would never do that to you! Why would you think something like that?!” Beca was horrified that Chloe would even have this idea._

_Chloe’s eyes seemed to soften a little, “You need to talk to me, Beca. You don’t need to keep everything to yourself. I can help you, you know.” She moved a little closer to Beca._

_Beca let out a long sigh, “I know, I know. I just— I guess I thought I can work it out on my own.”_

_Chloe frowned, smelling alcohol on Beca. “Did you drink again?” She asked._

_Beca snapped her head back up to look at Chloe. She didn’t want to lie, so hesitantly, she said, “Yes, but—”_

_“I knew it! Why are you being like this Beca? You are not a drinker! If you are unhappy about anything, you can talk to me, talk to Stacie! Why are you being so self-destructive?!” Chloe huffed._

_Beca widened her eyes, and suddenly got angry as well, “Yes I’m self-destructive, so why don’t you go and hang out with all your rich friends that seem to get their lives together?”_

_Chloe couldn’t believe her ears, “What’s that supposed to mean?”_

_“It is exactly what it sounds like it means! That Tom what’s-his-last-name dude seemed to be quite close to you.”_

_“How dare you accuse me of this or even suggest something like this? Who are you Beca? How did you become like this?! And why are you pushing me away? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore!”_

_Beca was silent. She couldn’t understand how this conversation suddenly took a sharp turn._

_“You are clearly not happy with your life, I don’t know, maybe not happy with me either. Do you still want to be with me? Because I’m starting to feel like me being your girlfriend is just some empty title. You don’t tell me things, you didn’t call for a whole month Beca for god’s sake. Maybe we shouldn’t be together anymore if that’s your way of telling me you’ve lost interest in our relationship.” Chloe said angrily._

_Beca clenched her fingers around the ring box in her pocket so hard that her knuckles started to hurt. She muttered, “Yeah maybe we shouldn’t be together anymore if that’s what you want.”_

_Chloe snapped her eyes back to Beca, “What did you say?” Her voice was shaking a little._

_“You heard me, I said it’s over, that’s what you want isn’t it? You said I don’t tell you anything, well sorry if my pathetic life is not as glamorous as your New York high life princess!” Beca raised her voice with tears starting to pool in her eyes._

_“You are drunk, you don’t know what you are saying.”_

_“I’m not drunk, and I’m doing this for you actually. You already think I’m an alcoholic anyway. So I’ll save you the trouble of feeling embarrassed by an alcoholic loser girlfriend.”_

_“You should leave Beca, I refuse to talk to you right now.”_

_“Seriously?! If we can’t work this out now, what’s the point of talking after? If I leave, we are done.” Beca was trying very hard not to let the tears fall._

_Chloe hesitated, but still wouldn’t change her mind, “You are drunk, we can’t work this out even if we want to. We should both take a break and calm down. And when you are sober, we’ll talk more.”_

_“I told you I’M NOT DRUNK! But whatever, I’m giving you one last chance. If I walk out now, we are done, for good.” She moved slowly to the door and looked at Chloe._

_Chloe remained silent, looking away. Beca let out a laugh, and left without looking back._

* * *

 

 

Beca was pouring her everything into this song, expressing what she otherwise wouldn’t be able to say to Chloe. Through every pressing of the piano keys, every note, and every word in the song, she was trying to tell Chloe how she was so sorry about what happened 8 years ago, how she wished she could’ve been less stubborn and had stayed, how she would take back all those hurtful words if she could, and how she would always love Chloe, no matter what. Because Beca knew, Chloe could understand all those things through this song, she always did.

 

Her vision was already blurred and she couldn’t make out the keys clearly. But it didn’t matter, because she didn’t need to see them, her fingers had already memorized all the movements from those countless nights when she would play this song, when she missed Chloe so much that she couldn’t breathe. Even now, when they were barely five steps away from each other, she still missed Chloe like crazy that she couldn’t understand how it was even possible to miss someone this much even when you were with them.

 

 

_Beca was wandering in an unknown street in LA. She didn’t know where to go or what to do. She just found out that Olivia gave her songs to some artist at the label and didn’t even bother to acknowledge her inputs or let her know. She was furious, but she didn’t cry. She remembered herself refusing Olivia’s offer of giving her an impressive amount of money and quitting her job straightaway over the phone._

_So now, she was left with no job, and no one to lend her a shoulder to cry on, not that she needed to. Those who she thought were her friends all stamped on her face, hard, and was probably laughing at her naivete and stupidity at this very moment._

_She paused in the middle of the street and slowly went to lean on a palm tree nearby. It was a nice street, with tall palm trees lining up on both sides of the road. And the summer breeze would graze those thick leaves, creating a relaxing sound._

_Beca blinked, feeling her eyes start to sting a little from the emerging tears. She brought up a hand to rub her eyes, with a little too much force. No, she would not cry this time. She was used to this, having her hope shattered. And she could do this, she was tough, she could get through this without crying._

_She rested her head on the trunk of the palm tree and tried her best to control her breaths, focusing on the feeling of how the breeze would gently brush her cheeks and kiss her hair. She felt calmer and decided to look up to the sky in order to force back the last few remaining tears in her eyes._

_And oh, how she wished she had never looked at that sky._

_Because the colour of the sky that day, was the exact same shade as Chloe’s cerulean eyes._

_Something inside Beca snapped, a lone tear escaped from her eye, and just like that, all her previous resolve and efforts to not cry collapsed. She slid down the tree and silently broke down. Because she seemed to finally grasp the harsh truth that when she fell, there would be no one to catch her, to pick her up, to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. She would just keep falling, lost and alone._

_All these year, she had never missed Chloe that much like in this moment. She felt like she could give up anything just to have the redhead smile at her, hold her hands and kiss her cheeks, listening to the redhead tell her not to give up and that she believed in her. But all of them were just some unreachable fantasies now. Because Chloe wasn’t hers anymore. She lost her, in this ruthless and cold world. She lost the only person that could keep her warm and safe. And the irony, she was the one that pushed the love of her life away. So who was she to blame?_

 

Beca closed her eyes and focused on keeping the quivers out of her voice, she needed this song to be perfect. She needed to finish it, for the person who would appear in her mind whenever she played it.

_I don't wanna be down and_

_I just wanna feel alive and_

_Get to see your face again_

_But 'til then_

_Just my echo, my shadow_

_You're my only friend and I'm_

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name_

_Like a fool at the top of my lungs_

_Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright_

_But it's never enough_

 

Chloe blinked away her tears, letting them fall freely onto her lap. She was right. Beca did always find the perfect words to her songs. Because that was exactly how she felt when she wrote the song. That was exactly how she felt when she woke up at nights after the break-up and cried herself to sleep again. She could still feel the pain from those 15 anguished days.

 

 

_Chloe started to panic 5 hours after Beca left and started to call the brunette. No answer. Okay, that was nothing big, right? Beca hadn’t picked up her calls before. For god’s sake, she didn’t pick up her calls for a month. So this should not freak her out, right? Yeah, it was only 5 hours, she would try later. Beca was just mad at her, she would cool down and answer her calls and they could work this out together, right? Right._

_6 days later, Chloe was not so sure anymore. Sure, Beca didn’t call her back for nearly a month, but she would occasionally send the redhead some texts, letting her know she was okay, just busy or something like that. But this time it was different. There was nothing. No calls, no texts, and Stacie wouldn’t pick up her phone either. Chloe was restless and she couldn’t help but replay their last fight for the thousandth time in her head._

_“…I’m giving you one last chance. If I walk out now, we are done, for good.”_

_Did Beca really mean that? Now it started to seem like that way. That they were done. It was over between them. She thought the brunette was drunk and was only saying that because she was upset and angry. She didn’t think for a second that Beca was actually serious about this._

_If she had known, she wouldn’t let Beca step out of the room. Never. And she regretted that she didn’t say anything to make Beca stay. She wished she had said something, anything! She couldn’t believe it, how on earth did they get to this point? They were so good together. They were always the couple that everyone envied about. And how did everything just fall apart like that? It was not supposed to end like this._

_Chloe wiped her tears away and looked down at her phone. She had been calling the brunette every day and would leave one voicemail at the end of the day when Beca didn’t answer any of those calls. She didn’t know how long she could keep doing this. And she didn’t want to fly back to Atlanta again, since last time it ended up being so disastrous that her heart still hadn’t fully recovered. Besides, she had her pride too, she wasn’t going to beg, and chasing Beca back to Atlanta was just pathetic._

_She knew she couldn’t keep doing this, missing classes, skipping meals and spending days and nights crying her eyes out. Aubrey came to her dorm every day, to bring her food, comforting her and trying to cheer her up. She was beyond grateful for her best friend, even though the blonde had no idea what happened. She didn’t want to tell Aubrey because she didn’t want to look at her sympathetic eyes and listen to Aubrey telling her that everything would be okay. Because it wouldn’t. It would never be okay._

_By the time that 13 days had passed, Chloe was still in her grief state, without hearing anything from Beca or Stacie. She didn’t cry as much now, but her chest hurt so much that she felt numb. Most of the time, she just stared blankly out of the window and tried to think about anything but Beca. Because when she thought of their fight, her chest would tighten and her brain would force her to accept the reality that Beca and her were over. And when she thought of all their happy and sweet memories from when they were still together, she would feel more excruciating pain in her heart and want to scream._

_She looked at Beca’s guitar sitting in her room corner and laughed at herself. Now that she had finally accepted that it was really over between Beca and her, she wanted to smash that stupid guitar, or throw it away. But she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Every time she was so close to touch it, she would burst into more tears and drop her hands. And the engraving at the back of the guitar? Now it just seemed like a joke to her and was mocking her. ‘Always’? It seemed like nothing would be always and she was just too naïve to see it._

_So she needed to stop her useless sorrow. She needed to pull herself together because life would continue no matter what. And since this relationship apparently meant so little to Beca, it was just pathetic for her to cry this much and struggle to move on. She needed to move on, with or without Beca._

_Therefore, on the 15th day, she left Beca a final voicemail and got out of her bed. She showered, put on her makeup impeccably. She would go out, go to her classes, hang out with her friends and forget about Beca. She would build concrete walls around her bleeding heart, because she wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her like this, ever again. And she would find someone else to love, but that someone wouldn’t be Beca anymore._

_She looked at herself in the mirror one last time and put on a smile before leaving her dorm. She would be okay. She had to._

_But she knew, deep down, a part of her heart had already died._

_Cause my echo, echo_

_Oh my shadow, shadow_

_Hello, hello_

_Anybody out there?_

 

Beca pressed the last keys softly on her piano and finished the song. She lingered her fingers there for a few seconds more, before retracting them completely. She was glad that her piano was behind the couch and her back was to Chloe. Because right now her tears were dropping down uncontrollably onto the piano keys in front of her. She bit her tongue hard to stop herself from making any sound. She was tempted to look back at Chloe, but she didn’t dare to move, not even for a little bit.

 

After what felt like eternity, she heard Chloe’s small voice breaking the silence, “It’s time. We should go to the restaurant. I’ll wait in the car downstairs.”

 

Not daring to look up, she closed her eyes when she heard her apartment door click shut.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An old friend will appear in the next chapter and this person will reveal something VERY important… ;)


	16. Chapter 16

 

Things went back to normal over the following weeks. Chloe would still come to the bar to listen to Beca sing three times a week. And sometimes they would still hang out on Chloe’s day off like nothing had happened. Neither of them brought up that day at Beca’s apartment or their song, it was as if it didn’t happen. Beca was relieved actually, because she wouldn’t want the song to change what she and Chloe had now. She was worried that the redhead wouldn’t speak to her after hearing the song, but she soon realized that Chloe was pretending that it never happened. So she went with it and was content with still being able to remain in the redhead’s life, as a friend.

 

Beca was in the process of writing a new song and was deep in thought, sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table. Suddenly, a few loud knocks at the door brought her out of her reverie.

 

Frowning, she put down her lyrics notebook and stood up to answer the door. It was only 1pm and she wasn’t expecting anyone. Wondering who that could be, she yanked the door open and was taken completely by surprise, eyes widening at the sight before her.

 

Because there was Stacie Conrad, standing in front of her on her doorstep, in her ever so exquisite outfit, beaming at Beca with her lips curving into a mischievous smirk.

 

“Miss me?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stacie threw herself onto Beca’s couch and let out a content sigh. They had just ordered pizza, actually more like Beca just ordered pizza for Stacie, because the tall brunette looked like she hadn’t eaten for weeks and basically wolfed down most of the pizza. Beca watched the tall brunette in amusement. She had missed her best friend. Ever since she moved to LA, they hadn’t been able to see each other much. Stacie finished her degree in Atlanta, and found a really good job at an advertising agency. Now she was a marketing director who was in charge of several big clients.

 

Beca was happy for her best friend. At least one of them managed to achieve success in their careers. Seeing the tall brunette had already made herself comfortable on the couch, Beca went to sit down next to her and asked,

 

“Well what brings you here Stace?”

 

Stacie shrugged, “What? I can’t visit my best friend in New York?”

 

Beca laughed, “You can, but I highly doubt that you flew all the way here just to eat some pizza and sit on my crappy couch.”

 

“What can I say? I love New York pizza! It tastes better and your couch is not that crappy.”

 

“Stacie.” She pointed a finger at Stacie knowingly, narrowing her eyes.

 

“Fine, fine!” Stacie put up her hands in mock surrender, “I’m in town for a business meeting and thought I should drop by and check up on you. I haven’t seen you in so long and Beca, why can’t you just accept the fact that there are actually people who want to see you and enjoy your company for once!”

 

Beca dropped her finger and shrugged, “Fair enough. So how long will you be staying in New York?”

 

“Just for 2 more days. I’ve already had my meeting done, so I figured we could hang out for a bit. Are you going to be busy this weekend?”

 

“Nope, I’m mostly free during the day since I work like an owl. So I can definitely show you around and we could do whatever you want.”

 

“Awesome!” Stacie clapped her hands excitedly, “I miss hanging out with you Becs! And we could go to the mall and get our nails done!”

 

“WHAT?” Beca was horrified, “No we will definitely not be doing THAT!”

 

Stacie rolled her eyes, “Fine, always worth a try though. We could just go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art then, I’ve wanted to go there for so long!”

 

Beca was still a little traumatized by the prospect of getting a manicure with Stacie, “Yeah, we could do that. And please, don’t ever scare me like that again.”

 

Stacie pouted slightly, “Someday, Beca, someday we’ll be doing our nails together. Trust me, it’ll happen and it has become my life goal so I won’t give up.” She finished with a determinant look on her face.

 

Beca rolled her eyes, and she suddenly remembered something, “Hey, do you want to come to the bar later tonight? I’ll be singing and Chloe will be there as well. You two haven’t seen each other for a long time too, so I don’t know, you might want to catch up with her?”

 

Stacie’s eyes widened at hearing this, “Chloe? Chloe’s also in New York?! And you two are talking again?!!”

 

Beca nodded, unaffected by Stacie’s reaction.

 

Stacie was still in somewhat of a shock, “Wow, that’s… that’s amazing Becs! I mean, it’s great to see that you guys are on good terms with each other again. So what are you two doing now? Are you back together?”

 

“What?! No! We are just friends and I’m happy this way. I’m just glad that I get to see her again.”

 

Stacie looked unconvinced, but decided to let it slide for now, “Okay… so how is she now?”

 

Beca couldn’t help the soft smile that appeared on her face when she talked about the redhead, “She’s doing great. She’s a veterinarian now and she has her own clinic.”

 

Stacie watched as Beca talked about Chloe’s clinic all excitedly and proudly. It was clear that Beca was still in love with the redhead. _Just look at that stupid grin on her face when she talks about Chloe._ Stacie sighed. She wondered how Chloe was feeling towards Beca now. Was she still in love with Beca as well? She was determined to find out and test the water for a bit tonight. After all, those two were just meant for each other and she couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe arrived at the bar as usual at around 10pm, moving to sit in her corner booth and patiently waiting for Beca to start the performance. After hearing Beca sing their song the other day, she honestly didn’t know what to do with her feelings. Actually, she wasn’t even sure what she was feeling. Was she still in love with Beca? Maybe. But she was too afraid to think what that would mean for them. Every time she saw the brunette, she would still feel a dull pain in her chest, probably the after-effect from the agony she experienced 8 years ago, or was it her heart sending her signals, trying to warn her not to fall too deep, to get hurt again? Nevertheless, she still couldn’t help but look forward to seeing Beca every week, to hearing her voice and to just being around Beca. All of these complicated feelings were so confusing for her, but at least she knew for sure that she was not ready to let Beca go and disappear from her life again. So, she decided to pretend she never heard that song and to just be friends with Beca, to keep the brunette in her life for a little longer.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a cheery yet slightly familiar voice, “Hey, is this seat taken?”

 

She looked up and widened her eyes, “Stacie?!! Oh my God!! What are you doing here?!” She exclaimed, instantly jumping up to hug the tall brunette.

 

Stacie laughed and returned the redhead’s hug, “I’m in New York for business and still have a few days free before I need to go back. So, I thought I should visit Beca and she mentioned that you would be here tonight. And here I am.”

 

Chloe pulled back, still surprised, “Wow, it’s been a long time since we last saw each other! How are you?”

 

“I’m doing okay. I finished my degree and found a job at an advertising agency. So far I’m still loving my job so I think I’m doing just fine.” She winked.

 

Chloe smiled, gesturing towards the booth and the two then went to sit down at opposite ends of the table, “That’s great to hear Stacie.”

 

“Yeah, now what about you? Beca told me you are a vet now huh? Impressive, Doctor Beale.” Stacie wiggled her eyebrows.

 

Chloe grinned widely, “Thanks Stace. I’m pretty proud of myself too, you know, for surviving those torturous years of vet school.”

 

Stacie chuckled, “I’m sure.”

 

“So,” Chloe asked, “Did you do some sightseeing? I don’t have to work tomorrow, we should totally do something together!”

 

“Yeah, I’d like that! Beca and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this afternoon and it was so great! I was hoping I could rope her into going to the mall and getting our nails done together, but well…” Stacie rolled her eyes.

 

Chloe laughed, she could already imagine Beca’s horrified expression after hearing Stacie want them to go to a nail salon.

 

They continued to catch up with each other, and after Stacie’s drink arrived, she stirred it absentmindedly before speaking again.

 

“You know, Chloe, I’m really glad that you and Beca are on good terms now and are at least able to fix a few things.”

 

Chloe smiled, but made no comments about this. So Stacie continued,

 

“I have to say I’m quite surprised when Beca told me you guys bumped into each other and are speaking to each other again. So, you two are now friends or...?” Stacie trailed off, watching the redhead’s expressions carefully.

 

“Yeah, we are friends. We talked things out and we are all good now. The past is in the past and we’ve moved past it.” Chloe answered calmly, smiling at the tall brunette.

 

Stacie was a little disappointed. _Looks like Chloe is really over Beca._ She thought and sighed internally.

 

“Well anyway I’m just really happy that you two are friends again. That small idiot needs someone like you to keep her in check. Ever since she got alcohol poisoning and almost died, I’ve been constantly worried back in Atlanta that she would pull something that stupid again. Now that she has you back in her life, at least I could have a little peace of mind from now on.” Stacie said, sipping her drink.

 

Chloe frowned, _when did Beca ever have alcohol poisoning?_ So she asked, “What are you talking about?”

 

Stacie looked confused as well, “You know, back when she went to New York to propose to you but you basically straight up broke up with her, she came back, and drank 3 bottles of vodka straight from the bottle, god knows how quickly. Thankfully I went home early that night and took that unconscious idiot to the hospital. I’m telling you, it was the scariest experience in my whole life! You need to keep her from doing something that stupid ever again, you know? I wouldn’t want to go through all those drama ever again.” Stacie finished with an involuntary shudder when she thought back to that horrible incident and didn’t notice the redhead’s dumbfounded expression.

 

Chloe was shocked to say the least, there was too much information that she didn’t know which one to grasp. _First, Beca was going to propose?!! Then why on earth did they end up breaking up?!!! And the alcohol poisoning? How serious was that? Why hasn’t Beca mentioned anything to her?!!_ Chloe’s mind was going into overdrive. Answers, she needed answers. And apparently, what happened 8 years ago was not what she thought happened at all.

 

“Stacie…” Chloe called to get the tall brunette’s attention, voice trembling a little.

 

Stacie heard the quiver in Chloe’s voice and looked back at the redhead with a frown. Seeing Chloe’s confused and desperate eyes, she suddenly realized, “Oh my God! You… you didn’t know! I—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t— Oh my God, Beca’s going to kill me—”

 

“Stacie, please!” Chloe cut her off, “I need—I need to know. What really happened 8 years ago?”

 

Stacie hesitated, “Chloe, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said those things. I just thought you’ve already known since you said you’ve talked things out, I—” She sighed, “If Beca didn’t tell you, obviously she intended you to never find out. So I shouldn’t say anything either.”

 

Chloe now had tears in her eyes. She was so close to the truth, and she needed to know. “Please Stacie, please just tell me. What really happened?”

 

Stacie looked into Chloe’s tearful and pleading eyes for a moment before averting her own eyes. She didn’t have the heart to refuse and deep down, she really thought that Chloe needed to know what happened all those years ago. So she let out a long sigh, closing her eyes for a brief moment, before finally revealing that well-hidden truth.

 

“When Beca went to New York after your fight at the apartment, she was going to propose to you. She had her grandma’s engagement ring with her and all. And I honestly don’t know why you guys ended up broken up. All I know is that I went home early that day from the library because I just couldn’t spend one more minute working on that essay. When I went into the apartment and saw Beca’s bag, I was so excited and was running into her room wanting to hear all about the epic proposal, but instead, I found Beca passed out on her bed. Now she had been drunk many times before, but something was wrong this time. She was so pale, paler than her normal self and her breathing was really, really slow. Then I saw there were 3 empty bottles of vodka lying on the ground and I started freaking out. That’s too many! I tried to wake her up but she was just unresponsive, so I immediately called 911. When we were waiting for the ambulance, she started to have a seizure and I was so scared I…”

 

Stacie let out a trembling breath, still feeling a bit shaken just thinking back to that day. She ran a slightly shaky hand through her hair, before continuing.

 

“I wanted to call you, but she came back to consciousness after the seizure just for a few minutes and started to repeatedly tell me you guys broke up and not to call you. And then she just passed out again. When we got to the hospital, they pumped her stomach and eventually had to give her hemodialysis as well. Turned out that I wasn’t home early enough. She had been unconscious for a while and if I waited a little longer to call the ambulance, she wouldn’t have made it. But still, even after the treatment, she was in a coma for 17 days, while facing the potential of severe brain damage. Fortunately, this idiot eventually woke up with just a few mild after-effects. So I’d call it lucky.”

 

Stacie finished and the two fell into a deadly silence, even though they were in the middle of a bar filled with loud people. Chloe’s brain was racing and she didn’t even realize that she was clenching her drink so hard that her knuckles were turning white. _So that’s the real reason Beca didn’t answer her calls or voicemails. She… she was in a coma and couldn’t even know Chloe was calling her._

“So that’s why she didn’t answer my calls.” Chloe whispered under her breath with her eyes glued to her drink. But Stacie heard it.

 

The tall brunette let out a sigh, looking hesitant and wanting to say something. She continued to watch Chloe quietly for a few more seconds, before opening her mouth again.

 

“When Beca woke up, she immediately asked me for her phone, and… I don’t know what you said in the voicemails, but it broke her Chloe. I thought she was going to call you to explain everything and apologize for her stupidity. But after she heard your voicemails, she suddenly decided against it no matter how many times I yelled at her to just call you and tell you the truth. You know how stubborn she is so…” 

 

Chloe couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. Yes, her last voicemail to Beca. She remembered it all too well because it broke her to say those words as well.

_Beca opened her eyes and immediately squinted due to the brightness of the room. She felt like she was hit by a train. Everything in her body hurt so much and she couldn’t remember what happened. She blinked, finally realizing she was in the hospital and then it all came back. Her fight with Chloe, the break-up, her buying 3 bottles of vodka on the way home, drinking all 3 bottles of vodka, passing out, and hearing Stacie’s voice repeatedly shouting her name in her ears._

_She looked to her side and saw Stacie sitting in an armchair beside her, asleep. She called the tall brunette’s name weakly and reached out a hand to touch her arm. Stacie stirred and opened her eyes, immediately jumping out of her chair seeing Beca had woken up. She teared up and went to hug Beca carefully,_

_“Finally, Beca! I’m so glad that you woke up! I was starting to get worried.”_

_Beca hummed, not sure what that meant. And then Stacie pulled back, suddenly getting angry, “You are such an idiot! Why would you even do something like that?! Are you stupid?! Don’t ever scare me like that again, you hear me?! And you are lucky that you are in the hospital so I can’t yell at you or punch you! Because you so deserve it!” Stacie scolded the small brunette furiously in a hushed voice._

_Beca blinked, “Okay… but what happened? Why am I in the hospital?” She asked in a slightly hoarse voice._

_“You had alcohol poisoning and you’ve just woken up from a coma you idiot! You were lucky that I got home early that day otherwise you wouldn’t have made it.”_

_Beca stared at Stacie, wondering if she was joking. She was just about to speak some more but got cut off by the taller brunette, “I need to go call the doctors and let them know that you are awake. They need to run some tests. We’ll talk more later.” Stacie gave Beca another stern look before walking out to get the doctors._

_After all the tests were done, Stacie was relieved to learn that Beca was only left with some mild after-effects, no other severe damage or complications. She moved over to sit beside Beca again, watching the small brunette._

_“So… are you going to tell me what really happened that got you all crazy and nearly made you kill yourself with vodka?”_

_Beca turned her head to look at Stacie, and she wasn’t sure if she should tell Stacie what happened in New York. Because she herself didn’t understand how the event took such a wrong turn as well. she was going to propose, but instead she broke up with Chloe. What was wrong with her?_

_Beca could feel her eyes burning and her throat start tightening. So she sighed, looking away before suddenly snapping her eyes back to Stacie’s, “Stacie?! Where is my phone?!”_

_Stacie was startled by the urgency in Beca’s voice. She went to her bag to grab Beca’s phone, handing it back to her, “Here. What’s wrong?”_

_“Did… did you call Chloe and tell her about me being in a coma?” Beca asked, while turning on her phone to check her missed calls and voicemails._

_“No… I was going to but you asked me not to during your short period of consciousness that day. And I figured you probably want to explain all this to her yourself when you wake up.”_

_Beca nodded silently, seeing there were 52 missed calls and 15 voicemails. She turned her head to look at Stacie and asked, “Stace, can you give me a few minutes? I want to make this right with Chloe.”_

_Stacie nodded, standing up and pointing a finger at Beca, “You better! I’ll go get you some food.” Then she went to pick up her bag and walked out of the hospital room._

_Beca took in a deep breath before tapping on the first voicemail. Chloe’s nervous voice instantly came in._

_“Beca? Please pick up the phone. We need to talk about this. Are you back in Atlanta yet? Call me back okay? I’m sorry we fought and I shouted at you. I just really need to talk to you. Call me.” * **Beep** *_

_Beca kept listening to those voicemails one by one. By the 7th voicemail, she didn’t have the heart to continue because the redhead was either crying or begging her to call her back on the phone. Beca’s face was covered with tears now. She hated herself for making Chloe cry and she wanted to go back to that day so bad to slap herself and stop herself from drinking._

_She sniffled loudly and hastily wiped her tears. She noticed the last voicemail was dated 2 days ago and wondered why the redhead had stopped after that with the daily voicemail. So she decided to skip the few middle ones and go straight to the last one. She had made up her mind, after hearing that last voicemail, she would call Chloe and she didn’t care if she had to cry or beg, she would make it right with Chloe and apologize for the rest of her life to make up to the redhead._

_So, with a slightly trembling hand, she tapped on the last voicemail. However, the coldness in Chloe’s voice immediately sent shivers down Beca’s spine._

_“Beca, this is my last voicemail to you. I just want you to know, we are over, for real. I’ve given you some many chances in the past two weeks, but I guess you’ve made your point. I get it now. So I’m going to be okay, I’ll live my dream life, but that doesn’t include you anymore. Don’t bother calling me ever again, since you made it clear in the last two weeks that you don’t want to talk to me. So now the feeling is mutual. If we ever bump into each other in the street, let’s just act like strangers. Goodbye, Beca.” * **Beep** *_

_And at that moment, Beca wished she was still in that coma._


	17. Chapter 17

 

Beca had been tossing and turning in her bed for 2 hours. She groaned, turning yet again to lie on her back and stare at her ceiling thoughtfully, finally giving up on trying to force herself to sleep.

 

Chloe and Stacie had been acting really weird these past 2 days, and Beca felt like she was getting so paranoid that it was starting to drive her crazy. The day after Stacie’s visit, she and Chloe took the tall brunette to do some sightseeing around the city, but something seemed off between them. Something felt off about Chloe. The redhead looked like she was being bothered by something. Beca was getting a little worried, so she subtly asked the redhead a few times but was getting nothing other than a simple “I’m fine Beca.” In addition, Stacie was dodging her eyes most of the time, looking stressed and somewhat guilty. And Beca also failed to gain any clues even though she basically grilled her best friend when she drove her to the airport earlier today. The tall brunette just wouldn’t say a word. Beca got a feeling that something happened the night when Stacie went to catch up with the redhead at the bar, yet she just couldn’t figure out what it was.

 

Beca let out a frustrated sigh, deciding she should stop thinking before she completely drove herself crazy. She got up and went to the kitchen, figuring that she might as well use the time effectively. She had asked Jesse for a night off at the bar and the restaurant was closed today as well. She decided to use this free day to finally bake Chloe her raspberry pink velvet cake. She gathered all the required ingredients she bought yesterday and put them on the kitchen island, before rolling her eyes in annoyance. They were all so… pink. And she could feel her badassness slowly drifting away just by standing next to the pile of pink.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut. _Chloe, this is for Chloe._ She chanted internally before slowly reaching out a hand to pick up the pink food colouring. She planned to surprise Chloe with the cake later in the evening, since it was the redhead’s birthday. She knew she probably wouldn’t have the luxury to spend the whole day with the redhead and she figured Chloe would most likely go out with some of her friends, so the least she could do was to bake that cake and pretend to casually drop by the redhead’s apartment to give it to her.

 

 

_“Please, Becs! For me? Please? Pretty pleeeeease?” Chloe was kneeling on the ground with her chin resting on the brunette’s lap, looking up at Beca with her infamous pout and puppy dog eyes._

_Beca threw her head back slightly, groaning loudly and feeling her resolve begin to break, “No! Chloe! Why can’t we just go and buy a cake? You know you can’t use that pout and those eyes to get everything you want! It’s not fair!”_

_“Come on Becs! It’s just… next year, I’ll be in New York and you are probably not going to be there with me on my birthday and I really want today to be perfect.” Chloe pouted even more and nuzzled into Beca’s stomach._

_Beca’s inside melt at how cute her girlfriend was being and her brain completely lost all functions. However, Chloe apparently took Beca’s lack of response as in she needed more convincing. So, before Beca even blinked, the redhead moved up and was straddling her lap, leaning closer to Beca and basically purring in the brunette’s ear, “And who knows, we may find some other ways to make use of all those extra whipped cream and icing that I made.” She finished, nibbling the brunette’s ear._

_Beca involuntarily shuddered, swallowing hard. Her face was now a deep shade of red. “You… you…” She stuttered._

_Chloe smiled, pulling back to look into Beca’s now darker eyes, “Please, Beca? I really want to bake my birthday cake with my super-hot girlfriend.” She whispered, their lips almost touching._

_“Fine.” Beca answered a little too quickly and she mentally chastised herself for not having enough resistance power towards the redhead._

_Chloe squealed and went to peck Beca on the lips before standing up, despite of the brunette’s protests. She smirked at Beca’s flustered state, secretly loving that she was able to have that kind of effect on the brunette. She pulled Beca up by her hands and led them into her kitchen, “Awes! Now let’s get started then.”_

_“Wait, what do you have in mind for the whipped cream and the icing?” Beca perked up and looked at Chloe expectantly._

_“Well I was thinking we should also make some cupcakes you know? I love—” Chloe answered in all seriousness, wanting to tease the brunette as much as possible._

_“What? That’s not…” Beca exclaimed, cutting the redhead off._

_“Why?” Chloe looked at Beca questioningly, “What were you thinking we’ll be doing?” She was trying really hard to hide her giggles._

_“N-no, nothing. I was thinking of nothing. Cupcakes are good, super good.” Beca was blushing furiously, trying to shake all those inappropriate images out of her head._

_Chloe couldn’t hold back her laugh anymore, “Oh, babe, you are too easy!”_

_Beca realized Chloe had been teasing her all along and glared at her girlfriend, “You are the worst! I don’t know why I put up with all your teasing this long.”_

_“You love it!” Chloe said in a sing-song voice, “Besides, I can’t help it! You are just too adorable when you are all flustered.”_

_“What? I’m not adorable!”_

_“Yes, you are! You act all tough and cold, but actually you are the biggest softie and the cutest human being in the whole world babe.”_

_“I’m not a softie or cute! You take it back!” Beca demanded, taking a step closer to her girlfriend near the kitchen island._

_“Nope, Miss cutie pie, I will not take it back! I have the most adorable girlfriend in the world, and you better embrace yourself.” Chloe winked at the brunette._

_“Take it back or you’ll regret this!” Beca tried one last time and after seeing that the redhead wouldn’t budge, she dipped her fingers into the bowl of whipped cream on the kitchen island and got a handful of whipped cream, before smearing them on the redhead’s face._

_Chloe jumped, letting out a shriek, “You. Did. Not. Just. Do. That!” She gasped, mouth falling open._

_“Yep, that’s payback for calling me cute and adorable.” Beca answered smugly, satisfied with her handiwork._

_“Oh, really?” Chloe challenged, slowly stepping closer towards Beca, whipped cream all over her face._

_Beca eyed the redhead suspiciously. She pointed a finger at her girlfriend, “What are you doing?” She started to take a few steps back._

_But before Beca could even react, Chloe surged forward and began to place kisses all over the brunette’s face, smearing the whipped cream from her face onto Beca’s face as well._

_Beca squealed, trying to wiggle out of the way but Chloe’s hands were gripping her hips so hard that she couldn’t get away._

_After Beca finally escaped from Chloe’s firm grip, she took a few seconds to catch her breath before she looked up, seeing the redhead was now using a towel to clean up her face, she suddenly had an idea, “Ouch… I think I sprain my back, it hurts.” She scrunched up her face, adding a few whimpers while pressing her hands on her lower back._

_Chloe quickly dropped the towel. She was in front of Beca in an instant, concerned, “Babe, are you ok? Can you move?”_

_Beca shook her head, looking up, “I think… I think I just need a few kisses from my GIRLFRIEND!” She raised her voice at the end of the sentence and went to grab the redhead. But the redhead was quick this time, she swiftly dodged Beca’s attack, fleeing to the living room while laughing,_

_“Nice try Mitchell. And it’s low to fake an injury you know!”_

_Beca chased Chloe back to the living room and tackled the redhead onto the couch. She straddled the redhead, bending over to kiss her girlfriend thoroughly, until her own face was almost free of whipped cream._

_Chloe struggled to keep her face from the brunette, but eventually just gave up and kissed Beca back passionately, not caring if she completely undid all her previous facial cleaning._

_Finally, they broke apart, both breathless and laughing hard. And when they calmed down, Beca looked into Chloe’s sparkling eyes, “Happy birthday baby.” She whispered under her breath. I love you. She thought but didn’t say it._

_But somehow Chloe seemed to sense it. She gazed into the stars in Beca’s eyes, feeling like she could get lost in there for eternity. I love you too. She thought, and leaned up to kiss Beca again._

Beca was standing outside Chloe’s apartment door nervously, with the raspberry pink velvet cake in her hands. She looked down at the cake and suddenly having second thoughts about her actions. _Is it appropriate for me to come here? I’m not overstepping any boundaries, am I? I mean friends bake each other cakes all the time, right? Right… and… how will she react? After all it’s the same cake that we baked on her 18th birthday… but hey, she’s the one that brought it up the other day…_

 

Beca shook her head to get rid of all those thoughts, _I seriously need to stop with all the ramblings! Okay, I can do this._ So, with a deep breath, she brought up a hand to knock on Chloe’s door, waiting anxiously while biting her bottom lip.

 

A moment later, she heard footsteps getting closer and closer to the door and her heart rate picked up. Within a few seconds, the door swung open, and she saw Chloe standing in front of her, in a royal blue onesie with tiny white elephant patterns on it and a pair of fuzzy hedgehog slippers, surprise in her eyes.

 

“Happy Birthday.” Beca said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, something BIG is happening!!!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is All of the Stars by Ed Sheeran. And again, have a listen while you are reading if you like :)

Chloe was woken up by the continuous ringing of her phone that morning. She reached out to pick it up from the nightstand and saw that they were a bunch of text messages and emails from her colleagues and friends to wish her a happy birthday.

 

She sighed, tossing her phone back and staring at the ceiling. She was not in the mood to celebrate her birthday this year. Even since she found out the truth about the event 8 years ago from Stacie, she didn’t know how to face Beca. And she knew Beca was beginning to become suspicious since the brunette had asked her several times if she was okay when they were out with Stacie the other day. Somehow after all these years, Beca could still read her like an open book. Chloe let out a bitter laugh, because yes, Beca always had the ability to notice every subtle sign of her emotions. Having someone that understood her this much made Chloe’s heart feel warm, but it terrified her at the same time, not to mention that someone was Beca.

 

Now that she knew why the brunette didn’t call her back during those 15 days, what she couldn’t understand was why Beca didn’t call to explain everything to her and tell her the truth after she woke up from the coma. Because she would have understood. She would have yelled at Beca for almost getting herself killed yes, but she would have forgiven the brunette. She just couldn’t understand why Beca would just throw away what they had so easily and it still hurt her, even till this day.

 

What’s worse, her feelings towards Beca seemed to become more and more difficult to ignore these days. She tried to stay in denial and convince herself that they were just friends. But the butterflies in her stomach when Beca smiled at her, the accelerated heartbeats whenever their hands brushed by chance, the lingering looks towards Beca when the brunette wasn’t looking… everything was telling her that they were more than friends. And Chloe had finally accepted it, but did she still love Beca? Did she fall back in love with Beca, or had she never stopped loving Beca? She refused to continue thinking about her feelings. Maybe the Chloe from 8 years ago wouldn’t stop until she figured out what her feelings were and would immediately act on them. But she was not who she used to be 8 years ago. Sure, she was still bubbly, positive, outgoing and all, but she had become more reserved when it came to love and feelings because she had made the mistake of putting her heart out there and had her heart shattered in the end. When she finally picked up what was left of her broken heart, she promised herself that she would protect those pieces from then on, and would never give anyone the power to crush one more piece. Therefore, she built up cold concrete walls around her heart, and they were there for 8 years. But lately, those walls started to chip, and she was terrified.

 

Chloe shook her head, getting up from her bed. Her colleagues at the clinic had forced her to take this day off to relax and she had also politely refused some invitations from her friends to go out and celebrate her birthday, claiming she was getting old and just wanted to stay in. However, deep down, she just wanted to spend her birthday with only one person in this world, and that was Beca. It was always Beca. But she knew she couldn’t call the brunette, not when she couldn’t figure out her feelings. _Guess it’ll just be myself then._ She thought, and decided to put on her favourite onesie and hedgehog slippers to spend the whole day watching movies on the couch with some popcorn.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was around 6pm, and Chloe was already dozing off on the couch after watching several movies during the day. But suddenly, she was startled by a few knocks at the door. Confused and still slightly sleepy, she got up from the couch and went to answer it.

 

However, when she opened the door, all her sleepiness and tiredness were immediately gone. Because there stood Beca Mitchell, a pink cake in her hands, smiling nervously at her.

 

“Happy Birthday.” She said.

 

Chloe was stunned, she stood there with her mouth slightly open, eyes locked on the brunette. _Beca remembered her birthday. And she baked that cake for her._

Chloe was in a trance, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. It wasn’t until she heard Beca awkwardly clear her throat a little that she realized she was still standing at the door. She snapped back to reality and moved out of the way to let the brunette in.

 

“Right… uh… sorry, come in!” She was a little embarrassed and her face was turning red.

 

Beca smiled and walked in.

 

Chloe closed the door and turned around, seeing that Beca was holding up the cake for her to take, “Happy birthday,” she said again, “I figured since you mentioned the cake the other day, what better day to bake it than today? Plus, I can avoid being laughed at when I handle all those horrible pink ingredients if I bake the cake in secret, so I’d say it’s a win-win.” She joked.

 

Chloe chuckled lightly, taking the cake and admiring it for a moment. “You still remember my birthday.” She whispered.

 

“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” Beca looked at her strangely.

 

Chloe smiled, looking up at Beca, “You should stay and have some cake with me. Do you want to wait for a bit on the couch while I go to the kitchen and cut the cake?”

 

Beca looked surprised and happy, like she didn’t expect that she could stay and share the cake with Chloe. So she quickly nodded and went to the living room.

 

Chloe watched the brunette walk over to sit on the couch, before going into the kitchen to cut two pieces from the cake. It looked really pretty and delicious, and Chloe giggled when she imagined Beca mixing all the pink ingredients in a bowl with an uncomfortable expression. Her heart was extremely warmed by Beca’s sweet gesture.

 

After putting two pieces of cake in separate plates, she grabbed two forks and went back to the living room with the plates in her hands.

 

“You know, this cake looks really good and I’m beginning to feel a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see you mix all those pink—” Chloe was joking on her way back to the couch but suddenly halted when she saw where the brunette was.

 

Beca wasn’t sitting on the couch anymore. Instead, she was standing near one of the corners of the redhead’s living room, next to the guitar, the guitar that she gave to Chloe. And her fingers were touching the strings softly.

 

Hearing Chloe’s voice, Beca immediately retrieved her hand and turned around, looking like a little girl that was caught playing with something she shouldn’t be playing. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out.

 

Chloe went to put the plates and forks down on her coffee table and sat down on the couch silently. She then picked up her plate and started eating the cake without a word. Beca hesitantly followed suit, going back to sit on the couch beside Chloe, taking her own plate and beginning to eat as well.

 

The two sat there eating their cake in silence, until Beca couldn’t handle it anymore, “You… you kept the guitar for all these years?” She finally asked in a small voice, eyes fixed on her plate.

 

“Yes.” Chloe answered simply, continuing to finish her cake.

 

Beca looked up at her, “Why?” Her voice trembled a little.

 

Chloe felt like she was going to cry, but she refrained herself, “No reason, sometimes I feel like playing the guitar and I’m too lazy to buy a new one.” She added a shrug, hoping it was convincing.

 

Beca was silent for a moment, before she slightly nodded and went back to eating her cake.

 

The two fell into silence again and Chloe stole a few glances at Beca, seeing that the brunette seemed to be deep in thought. She put down her plate, “Thank you Beca, for the cake. It’s really delicious.”

 

Beca smiled, putting down her plate as well and looking up at the redhead, “Anything for you Chloe.”

 

Chloe’s heart skipped a beat, and before she could control her mouth, the words slipped out without warning, “Can you play something for me?”

 

“What?”

 

“Can you… can you play something on your guitar for me? Consider it as a birthday gift.” Chloe didn’t know why she asked that, but since it already slipped out, there was no going back.

 

Beca looked hesitant, but she couldn’t find any reason to refuse the request from the birthday girl. _How about saying she couldn’t remember any songs? No that was just ridiculous… What about she hurt her wrists while baking the cake? Yeah that seemed believable… wait, no, Chloe saw her carry the cake with both of her hands and there was no way she could do that if her wrists were injured..._ Beca racked her brains but failed to find any reasonable excuses to refuse the redhead. So, with a sigh, she stood up and went to pick up her guitar from the corner before going back to sit down in an armchair across from Chloe.

 

She took a deep breath and thought hard on which song she was going to play. The truth was, she was scared. She hadn’t touched that guitar for so many years and she was worried what Chloe was expecting. Love songs? No, they were just inappropriate. She couldn’t let Chloe find out that she was still in love with her, otherwise it would just destroy the friendship they had now. But when it came to the redhead, there only seemed to be love songs that Beca had written about her. During these 8 years, Beca wrote a few more songs about Chloe whenever she missed her. Should she play one of them?

 

Beca finally decided to pick a subtle one to play for the redhead, so she spent a few seconds tuning the guitar, before singing softly to her only audience.

 

 

_It's just another night_

_And I'm staring at the moon_

_I saw a shooting star_

_And thought of you_

 

_I sang a lullaby_

_By the waterside and knew_

_If you were here_

_I'd sing to you_

_You're on the other side_

_As the skyline splits in two_

_I'm miles away from seeing you_

Chloe listened intently, without looking away from the brunette for even a second. She watched Beca close her eyes when she sang, and watched her curve her lips into a tiny smile. She had heard the brunette sing on the street and in the bar. But ever since they bumped into each other again, she’d never had the brunette sing to her with her guitar, only for her, without any other audience. And right at this very moment, she felt like she went back to 8 years ago, when Beca would play the guitar and sing to her all the time, in their high school music room, in the backyard of Chloe’s house, at their secret spot up on the hill, and through the computer screens when they were miles away from each other. And she suddenly didn’t know how she’d survived all these years without Beca singing to her.   

 

Her vision blurred, and realization hit her. She was still in love with Beca. She had never stopped, even though she told herself otherwise countless times and buried all her feelings really deep. And at that moment, those tall and cold walls around her heart started tumbling down all at once.

_  
_

_But I can see the stars_

_From America_

_I wonder, do you see them, too?_

 

_So open your eyes and see_

_The way our horizons meet_

_And all of the lights will lead_

_Into the night with me_

_And I know these scars will bleed_

_But both of our hearts believe_

_All of these stars will guide—_

 

“Why did you come to New York?” Chloe cut Beca off a little too harshly.

 

“What?” Beca was startled, unsure of what Chloe meant.

 

“Why did you come to New York, Beca?” Chloe asked again, tears threatening to fall.

 

“What? I told you, back in LA—”

 

“I know why you left LA, but you could have gone to any other city. Why New York Beca? Why here?”

 

Beca was silent, she looked down at the guitar in her hands.

 

“Tell me, Beca. Why did you choose to come to New York after all these years?!” Apparently Chloe wasn’t going to let this go.

 

“I… because you used to…” Beca was getting frustrated with herself. She was really bad at expressing her feelings, “I don’t know what I was hoping okay? I just thought maybe—"

 

“So you thought maybe I’m still here in New York and you’d probably see me again?” Chloe cut the brunette off again.

 

Beca didn’t know what to say, she didn’t understand what was going on. She was playing a song for Chloe just a few seconds ago, and now why did it seem like they were having a fight again? What did she do wrong?

 

Getting no response from the brunette, Chloe went on, tears glistening on her eyelashes, “You think you could just come back here and… and just somehow waltz back into my life again like nothing happened and everything will be okay? That I will fall in love with you again? Well, jokes on you because guess what?! I’ve never stopped loving you even if I want to!!” Chloe was almost yelling at the end of the sentence, finally failing to hold back her tears.

 

“You…” Beca was stunned, she couldn’t believe her ears.

 

“And Stacie told me all about your alcohol poisoning Beca! So that’s the real reason why you didn’t answer my calls or voicemails for 15 days, because you literally couldn’t! And why didn’t you just call to explain to me? I would have understood! Why did you just throw away our relationship so easily? Did it not mean anything to you?!” Chloe cried out, while her shoulders heaved up and down with emotions.

 

“Chloe…” Beca’s heart broke seeing Chloe like this. She reached out a hand to grab Chloe’s, but the redhead yanked her hand away.

 

“No! This time I won’t let you get away with this! Just tell me Beca, why didn’t you call me back? WHY?!!!”

 

“BECAUSE I WAS ASHAMED!!!” Beca yelled, and then she dropped her voice, defeated, “Don’t you see, Chloe? I was ashamed. Because I was a nobody, I still am. And when you looked at me with such expectant eyes, I just couldn’t look back knowing I would just be disappointing you, again and again because I was not good enough! And I didn’t deserve you to believe in me that much. I couldn’t give you the life that others could easily offer you. After I woke up in the hospital and listened to your voicemails, I realized you were right. I was just some pathetic alcoholic that had this unrealistic dream. Hell, I nearly drank myself to death! That’s how stupid and pathetic I was. And you would be okay without me, better even because I was just a failure and a mess.” Beca whispered with tears in her eyes, looking away from Chloe.

　

“Why don’t you understand, Beca?!” Chloe couldn’t believe what she was hearing, “I didn’t need other people or some ridiculously luxurious life! And why can’t you just believe in yourself? I didn’t need anything but your love from you! I just needed you to love me and hold me. And you think I would be better off without you? How I wish that was true as well! Because you know how many times I wanted to smash or throw away this stupid guitar you gave me? But I just couldn’t do it and I hated myself for it! I hated myself that I just couldn’t get over you, that I’m still in love with you!!!”

 

Beca snapped her head back up at the last few words. Tears were streaming down Chloe’s face and she was looking at Beca with such vulnerability that clenched Beca’s heart but also took her breath away all at the same time.

 

Beca surged forward and crashed their lips together, in a desperate and tender kiss. Chloe kissed her back immediately with the same need and desperation. All the longing and pent up feelings over the 8 years burst through this kiss and neither of them wanted to break apart.

 

Eventually, oxygen ran out and Beca reluctantly broke the kiss, but she didn’t move far, as if fearing the redhead would disappear and this was just yet another wild dream. She rested her forehead against Chloe’s, feeling the redhead’s breath on her lips. Her hands were cupping Chloe’s cheeks and her thumbs were caressing the redhead’s cheekbones so gently as if Chloe was the most delicate and precious flower in the world.

 

“I loved you with all my heart. I still do because I’ve never stopped too. Don’t ever doubt that.” Beca breathed out, with her eyes still closed.

 

“If you could just believe in yourself a little more,” Chloe whispered back, “If you could just love me and let me in, that would have been enough. That was all I need.”

 

“Is—is it still all you need? Because even after 8 years, I still have nothing but my love to give you. If you still want it, if you could give me a second chance, I’ll love you with every breath I take and never leave your side ever again.” Beca open her eyes. She moved back a little, looking into Chloe’s eyes hopefully.

 

Chloe didn’t answer for a while. And Beca’s heart started to sink. If Chloe refused, it probably meant that their rekindled friendship was over too. And she was not ready to lose Chloe again.

 

“I’m scared. I don’t want to get hurt again.” Chloe finally said in an almost inaudible and trembling voice.

 

“I know, I’m scared too. And we don’t need to rush into anything. Just let me prove to you that you can trust me with you heart this time? Let me prove to you that I’ll never hurt you again, that I’ll love you every second for the rest of my life? Will you give me this chance?”

 

After what felt like eternity, Beca’s heart almost stopped when she heard Chloe’s small voice.

 

“Okay.”

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

 

Chloe walked into the clinic with a yawn but instantly frowned. Her receptionist Jessica was beaming at her weirdly.

 

“What?” She asked the blonde sitting behind the counter while walking towards her office.

 

“Nothing.” Jessica answered a little too quickly. She wiggled her eyebrows at Chloe and couldn’t stop giggling.

 

“Okay, Jess, you are starting to freak me out. What’s going on with you?” Chloe stopped in her tracks and eyed the blonde suspiciously, demanding an answer.

 

“Told you it’s nothing. You’ll know when you get into your office.” Jessica returned her attention to her computer screen and pretended to be busy.

 

Chloe shook her head lightly, and continued to walk to her office. The moment she opened her office door, she instantly knew why Jessica was acting weird. Because there was a bouquet of daffodils on her desk, and a card beside it.

 

Chloe smiled. She walked to her desk and picked up the bouquet, burying her nose in the flowers and taking in a deep breath, while closing her eyes and just immersing herself in the intoxicating fragrance. She took a moment before putting down the bouquet and going to read the card. She opened it and her smile immediately grew bigger.

 

_To my favourite redhead:_

_Have a great day at work Chlo! Don’t forget to eat your lunch!_

_I miss you and I can’t wait to see you on Thursday._

_Beca_

Since her birthday, she and Beca had decided to give each other another chance and start over. Both of them agreed to take things slow and try to make it work this time. And the brunette had been sending her flowers every morning for 5 days. Sometimes the bouquet would come with a card, a box of chocolates, or just a cup of caramel white chocolate mocha – Chloe’s favourite. She had told Beca that she didn’t need to buy her flowers every morning, but Beca just smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. The next morning, the flowers arrived as usual, and Chloe had to admit she was swooned over the fact that Beca still remembered her favourite flower, her favourite coffee, her favourite everything. In the card from the day before, Beca had asked her out on a date on Thursday, which was Chloe’s day off this week and Chloe was starting to feel a little giddy. She couldn’t help but look forward to Thursday and she was beginning to miss the brunette terribly on the days when she didn’t get to go see her sing at the bar. She had never felt this way with anyone else that she dated during these 8 years, not even Chicago. And she felt like she was 17 years old again, feeling nervous but excited at the same time when her crush asked her out. And the one that made her feel this way just so happened to be the same person, Beca Mitchell.

 

Chloe’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard a whistle coming from just outside her office door, which she forgot to close.

 

Cynthia Rose walked in, smirking, “Well, well, well, 5 days in a row. Looks like Doctor Beale has a secret admirer now.” Cynthia Rose was another vet at the clinic and Chloe’s business partner. She used to work at the same clinic that Chloe interned at and the two became very close. When Chloe decided that she wanted to open a clinic herself and was looking for a business partner, Cynthia Rose was the perfect person to ask and Chloe couldn’t feel luckier that the other veterinarian instantly jumped on board.

 

“Not so secret I’d say.” Chloe chuckled, and went to put the daffodils into a vase on her windowsill.

 

Cynthia Rose widened her eyes, “Not secret? Then you are seeing someone?! I knew you were extra bubbly and happy these past few days for a reason! Who is this new boyfriend? Do I know him? What does he do? I like this one already since he seems to make you really happy compared to that dude who shares his name with a city.”

 

Chloe laughed, “Whoa, slow down with all those questions, will ya? And no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

 

Cynthia Rose eyed the redhead suspiciously, but before she could ask some more, Emily, the youngest vet in the clinic bounced into Chloe’s office as well and joined the conversation, “Of course Chloe doesn’t have a boyfriend! More like a girlfriend!! I saw her this morning when she came to drop the flowers and the card. She’s really pretty and seems really cool as well!” She basically squealed at the end of the sentence.

Cynthia Rose widened her eyes again, “Wow, Chloe! How come I didn’t know?! If I’m not married, I’d totally ask you out!” She joked.

 

Chloe rolled her eyes playfully, “Careful, I’ll tell Sasha you said that!”

 

“I’m not worried, she’ll probably say she’d ask you out too if she’s not married to me.” Cynthia Rose grinned.

 

“So Chloe, who’s the girlfriend? How did you meet her?” Emily asked excitedly.

 

Chloe blushed lightly, “She’s not my girlfriend… yet… I mean, she was… she… well, she was my first love but something happened and it didn’t work out. But recently we bumped into each other and decided to try again. And we are taking things slow this time.”

 

The other two veterinarians nodded in understanding.

 

“She sure does make you happy Chloe, and I’m happy for you that you guys found each other again.” Cynthia Rose said sincerely.

 

“Yeah! You guys would look so cute together! I totally ship you two!” Emily beamed.

 

Chloe smiled, and soon burst into laughter when she saw the youngest vet bouncing excitedly at her office door.

 

“Alright, you two! Enough gossip for the day! Let’s get back to work, shall we?” Chloe urged, still chuckling and shaking her head a little.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was finally Thursday, and Chloe was currently having a panic attack in her bedroom. She rolled her eyes at herself, because almost all week she was looking forward to this day so much that she could barely focus on her work, wishing she could just magically skipped the days in the middle and jump straight to her date with Beca. However, now the day had finally arrived, she was panicking and wishing the day could drag longer instead. But ironically, she felt like she only blinked once and now she only had one hour left before Beca would come and pick her up, and she didn’t even know what she should wear.

 

Therefore, she called Aubrey for reinforcement, but was now regretting her choice terribly, since all Aubrey had done so far was sit on her bed, flip through a magazine and laugh at Chloe’s demeanour.

 

“Bree! I didn’t call you here to just read a magazine! You need to help me choose an outfit! I’m running out of time!” Chloe groaned loudly, tossing yet another dress onto the bed, unsatisfied.

 

“Chloe, I’m just confused. From what you told me, I thought you two have already admitted that you both still love each other, right? Then why are you trying so hard? The hobbit will still love you even if you just wear a sack.” Aubrey watched the redhead in amusement. When Chloe first told her that she was going to start over with Beca, she was a little worried that Chloe might get hurt again. But she supported her best friend’s decision and she knew Beca would make Chloe the happiest.

 

Chloe glared at her best friend, “I just really want to impress her and show her that I’m serious about us. Now shut up and help me!”

 

Aubrey held up her hands in mock surrender, “Okay okay, Gee, I’ll help! Relax Chloe!” She eyed the dresses lying on the bed, and pointed at a red one, “This one, it’ll blow the hobbit’s mind.”

 

Chloe followed the direction of Aubrey’s finger, and saw that it was an elegant red floral sundress that would end just above her knees, with a slightly plunging neckline in the front. “You think this one is good?” Chloe asked while snatching the dress to put it on in her bathroom. Aubrey just laughed again. It was fun to see the redhead being so nervous and indecisive for once in a lifetime.

 

A few minutes later, Chloe came out of the bathroom and looked at Aubrey expectantly for her best friend’s opinion.

 

“Hmm, chic, adorable and flirty, not to mention that it also complements your eyes. I’d say we have a winner.” Aubrey said, satisfied with her selection and was nodding at Chloe like a proud mom.

 

Chloe turned around to look at herself in the mirror beside her bed, “Yeah, I think this one is okay, not too casual, and I don’t want to go too formal either since Beca said we are not going to some fancy restaurant and told me to wear something comfortable… So you think she’ll like it?” She asked hopefully.

 

Aubrey rolled her eyes, “I don’t think, I know for a fact that the hobbit will love it! So calm down Chloe, Jesus.”

 

Chloe pouted, “Hey, what’s with the attitude Bree?! I really need moral support okay?”

 

“Fine! But you better hurry up, only 15 minutes left and I see you haven’t done your make-up yet.”

 

Chloe widened her eyes, immediately running back to her bathroom while yelling, “Oh my God!! Bree! If Beca’s here later, you need to stall her until I’m done here!”

 

Aubrey laughed, shaking her head. She got up from the bed and walked to the living room to wait for the brunette musician to arrive.

 

 

* * *

 

 

About 15 minutes later, Aubrey heard a few knocks at the door. She looked up at the clock and was pleased. _Hmm… punctual. That’s good._ She thought as she stood up from the couch to answer the door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see that Beca was wearing a dress too.

 

Aubrey got to know Beca a little bit back when Chloe would always drag her to the bar to see the brunette perform, so she at least was able to learn that Beca was super sarcastic and hated dressing up. Therefore, seeing Beca Mitchell in a dress was quite shocking for the blonde.

 

However, Aubrey quickly snapped out of her shock, “You clean up nice.” She said calmly.

 

Beca shrugged, “Well, special occasion so…”

 

Aubrey nodded, and moved out of the way to let Beca in. When she turned around after closing the door, she noticed that Beca was holding a pretty bouquet of daffodils behind her back. Aubrey smirked, _maybe Chloe’s finally found her Ms. Perfect after all._ She cleared her throat and looked at Beca sternly, still playing the role of the protective and disapproving best friend. After all, a little intimidation wouldn’t hurt.

 

“Wait here, I’ll go get Chloe.” With that, she disappeared into the hallway and left Beca alone in the living room.

 

                              

* * *

                                                                      

 

Truth be told, under the chill facade, Beca was freaking out inside big time. This would be her first date with Chloe in 8 years. And she didn’t know what to expect or what would actually happen. She had spent 2 days planning this date, and she could only hope it would be perfect and live up to Chloe’s expectations without ending up being a complete disaster.

 

Earlier today, she went through the same struggle as Chloe about choosing which outfit to wear, although she had no idea that Chloe was panicking as well. She thought about wearing her usual shirt with jeans and boots, but she worried if that would be too casual. She wanted to let Chloe know that she was taking this date seriously and hopefully impress the redhead. Consequently, without a clue, she decided to call for help. She thought for a moment who she should call. _Fat Amy? No, that blonde gives the worst advice! Jesse? No, just… weird. Then that only leaves… Stacie…_

Beca groaned. She knew if she called Stacie for fashion advice, she would never hear the end of it from the taller brunette for the rest of her life. But desperate times, Stacie would have to do.

 

 

_“Hey Becs, what’s up?” Stacie’s voice sounded on the other end of the phone._

_“Stace, I need your help.” Beca said reluctantly._

_“What? You don’t sound like you are asking for people’s help.” Stacie teased the shorter brunette._

_“That’s my normal voice, deal with it! So will you help me or not?!”_

_“Hmm… fine, but only because you don’t normally ask people for help, so I feel honoured. Now, what is it? Shoot!” Stacie was curious what caused Beca Mitchell to call her for help._

_“I… I need your advice on what to wear for my date with Chloe.” Beca rushed out the sentence, she did not want to repeat that ever again._

_There was a beat of silence over the phone. And after a few seconds, Beca was starting to think the taller brunette got disconnected. But just when she was about to move the phone away from her ear to check, she heard Stacie screaming,_

_“Oh. My. God. It’s happening! It’s finally happening! Beca Mitchell is asking me for FASHION ADVICE!”_

_Beca winced at the loud volume, “Will you clam down?!! You can freak out by yourself later, I’m in an emergency here. Now shut up and help me pick an outfit!”_

_Beca had told Stacie that she and Chloe were giving each other a second chance, and Stacie couldn’t be happier for her two friends. Now Beca was even calling her to ask her what to wear? Even better! So she quickly said,_

_“Sorry, sorry! You are right! Let’s get you all sexy and sweep that redhead off her feet again, shall we? Now hang up the phone! We need to Skype, I have to see you in those outfits!”_

_Then Stacie hung up before Beca could even reply. Beca rolled her eyes, throwing her phone on the bed before going to pick up her laptop which was blaring with a Skype call._

_~_

_After spending nearly 2 hours trying on different clothes, Stacie was still unsatisfied and Beca was losing patience._

_“Seriously, Stacie? Still no?! Those are all I have! You have to pick something out of them.”_

_Stacie was sitting behind her office desk, resting her chin on her hands and deep in thought. Then suddenly, she jumped, slamming her hands on the table while exclaiming,_

_“I know! The blue dress! You have to wear that blue dress!!”_

_Beca blinked, she didn’t have a blue dress, in fact, she wasn’t even sure if she had any dresses. But then she suddenly remembered as well, that blue dress._

_Before she left for LA, Stacie managed to talk her into buying a dress, claiming that there might be some really formal performances or auditions in LA waiting for her and showing up with jeans would just be inappropriate. So that was why Stacie dragged her to go shopping and when she was forced to try this blue dress on, even she herself had to admit she looked pretty good in it. It was a knee-length navy blue A-line dress with spaghetti straps, hugging her body in all the right places. And the V-neckline showed a delicious amount of cleavage without revealing too much. All in all, it was classy, sexy and mysterious. And according to Stacie, it would be suitable for both formal and casual occasions, which was perfect for Beca. So that was probably why Beca decided to buy that dress, or maybe it was just to finally make Stacie shut up about all the dress talks._

_Beca rushed to her closet to try to find that dress. She didn’t get to wear that dress in LA and had completely forgotten that she had it right until now. After 10 minutes’ digging, she finally pulled the dress out from the bottom of her storage box._

_She showed Stacie the dress, “Are you sure?”_

_Stacie urged, “I’m one hundred percent sure! This is it! Now put it on!!”_

_Beca quickly went to her bathroom to change and when she came back, Stacie gasped, “Told you this is IT! It’s perfect!! I’m pretty sure when Chloe saw you in this dress, she’s gonna jump you right there on the spo_ _—”_

_“Okkkay Stacie, your job here is done! Thanks!” Beca cut the taller brunette off, blushing slightly._

_Stacie smirked, “Don’t forget to bring your black leather jacket. It may get chilly in the evening and it’ll add to your badassness. Ohhh, and I think from what you told me about the date, you don’t need to wear heels, just wear those cute black ankle boots that you have! And and for makeup, you—”_

_“Stacie! I think I can take it from here! Believe it or not, I can do my own makeup pretty well!” Beca deadpanned, “But thanks though, for the help! I appreciate it.”_

_Stacie pouted slightly, “Fine, my job is done. The rest is all yours! Don’t stress too much though, Chloe will still have a good time even if you guys just stay in and watch movies or something.”_

_“I know, but I really want to show her that I’m serious about us this time and she deserves the best, you know?”_

_“Yeah,” Stacie smiled, “Then good luck Becs! I want to hear all about it after, okay?”_

_“That depends if I feel like telling you, bye Stace!” Beca smirked, and before Stacie could protest, she hung up the Skype call and went to finish her make-up._

Beca was waiting in the living room anxiously, she was starting to wonder if the fact that Chloe was taking so long was because she had changed her mind. But then she heard some ruffling noise behind her, so she stood up, figuring Chloe was ready. She hid her hand with the bouquet behind her back and turned around. And then, just like that, everything else seemed to disappear and Beca suddenly forgot where she was.

 

Because Chloe was walking slowly towards her with a shy smile. The redhead was wearing a cute flowery dress that brought out her enchanted eyes, while her fiery hair flowed down her shoulders lazily and effortlessly, in perfect waves. And those locks would bounce slightly with every step she took. Beca completely lost all brain functions right there and she felt like it was a miracle that she was even able to stand up straight. She felt like her heart almost couldn’t handle the beauty of the redhead and the butterflies in her stomach were making her a little dizzy.

 

“Sorry I took so long.”

 

Chloe’s sheepish voice brought Beca back to reality a little. Although she was still a bit dumbfounded, she managed to pull herself together.

 

“It’s okay. Here.” She brought the bouquet out from behind her back for Chloe to take, “You look beautiful.” She added softly, looking into Chloe’s cerulean eyes.

 

Chloe smiled and took the flowers, “Thanks, you look really beautiful too.”

 

Beca grinned, “Thanks. Ready?” She asked the redhead.

 

Chloe nodded, “Let’s go.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I did it again didn’t I… lol, but I just really want their ‘first date’ to be a separate chapter so… :D


	20. Chapter 20

While they were driving to wherever Beca was taking her, Chloe couldn’t stop stealing glances at the brunette. She still couldn’t believe Beca wore a dress for her, and she was having trouble moving her eyes away from the brunette. Because Beca Mitchell in that dress was just drop-dead gorgeous and whenever the redhead’s eyes wandered along that V-neckline, she felt like her legs were growing weak and her breathing was becoming rapid and shallow. She remembered Beca’s comment when she told the brunette she looked different back when they were meeting for lunch for the first time in 8 years, and she just couldn’t help but let her mind linger on that comment. _Maybe she does have bigger b— Oh my God!! What am I thinking?!! I need to stop, I need air! Why is it so hot in this car?!!_ Chloe was suddenly blushing furiously. Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair, and she clumsily went to open the car window, catching the brunette’s attention.

 

“Chlo? Are you okay?” Beca asked, glancing at the redhead and noticing the blush in her cheeks.

 

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s nothing, just a bit hot is all.” Chloe answered, trying to hide her fiery cheeks from the brunette.

 

“Okay… and why are you blushing?” Beca asked, amused.

 

“What? N-no, I’m not blushing!” And this only got Chloe to blush even more.

 

Beca laughed, deciding to let Chloe off the hook. The redhead was just too adorable and she didn’t have the heart to continue teasing her.

 

Chloe cleared her throat, wanting to change the subject to avert attention from her blushing. So she asked while gesturing around the car, “So this is Charlie?”

 

Beca nodded, “Yep, this is my buddy Charlie.”

 

Chloe grinned, and went to pat the radio lightly, “Well nice to meet you Charlie!”

 

Beca blinked, and then burst into laughter, “You are such a weirdo.”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Well this is called being polite you know.”

 

“Oh, okay. I’m sorry.” Beca was still chuckling, and then she suddenly lowered her voice to imitate a deep and masculine voice, “Well nice to meet you too, Miss Beale. You look extra lovely tonight!”

 

Chloe laughed, “Now look who’s being a weirdo?!”

 

Beca grinned. She turned her head to look at Chloe for a second before returning her attention to the road. She wanted so bad to just reach out her hand and lace their fingers together, but she refrained herself. She knew they should take things slow, and she could do this for them. She wanted to be able to hold Chloe’s hands one day again without having to worry if the redhead would flinch or feel uncomfortable, so she would wait, however long it took.

 

Chloe gazed at Beca’s profile with a soft smile. Her heart was feeling all warm and fuzzy and this date was already starting to be pretty great and perfect, she wondered what would come next.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a 35-minute drive, they finally arrived at the location that Beca picked for their date. Chloe looked out of the car window and was surprised to see that Beca had driven them to a small meadow in a quiet park.

 

Feeling her heart start to pound with excitement, Chloe stepped out of the car, and took a look around at where they were. It wasn’t a very large park, but the scenery was even more beautiful than her favourite park near her apartment. It was late Spring, so the emerald-green grass was all nice and fluffy. And not so far from the spot she was standing, there was a small yet crystalline pond with feather reed grass surrounding it. Even with the gentlest breeze, the tall and elegant plants would wave in perfect synchronization, adding motions into the static landscape. And from time to time, gleaming ripples would break the still surface of the pond, in the most peaceful and harmonious way possible.

 

On top of all these, Beca brought them here during sunset. So in that sunset glow, everything was painted with a touch of gold, and it was breath-taking.

 

Chloe was almost afraid to breathe, fearing she would disturb the scenic beauty. It was unreal, because this place just looked like a postcard, and Chloe was in awe that Beca was able to find such a wondrous place around a busy city like New York.

 

“Do you like it?” Chloe smiled at Beca’s slightly nervous voice.

 

“I love it.” She turned around to look at Beca, and noticed that the brunette had already set up a blanket and a picnic basket near her car on the grass.

 

Beca smiled, gesturing at the blanket, “Want to sit down and watch the sunset with me?”

 

Chloe’s heart instantly melt at how romantic this was. She excitedly bounced over to Beca and sat down beside her, before placing a soft kiss on Beca’s cheek, taking the brunette by surprise.

 

“So how did you find this place? It’s beautiful!” Chloe asked, chuckling inside at Beca’s slightly flustered state.

 

“Uh… I came across this park when I was finding places to play my music. But this park usually doesn’t have many people, so instead of playing my music, sometimes I just come here to write songs and stuff.” Beca explained.

 

Chloe nodded, turning her attention back to appreciating the sunset for a while. Beca smiled, getting up to turn on the radio in her car and leaving the car door open so the music could reach where they were sitting. When she got back, she grabbed the picnic basket and started to take the food out.

 

“Okay, I have some chicken salad sandwiches, blueberry pie, pretzels and strawberries. And for drinks, I brought ginger lemonade and water—What?” Beca stopped mid-sentence because Chloe was looking at her strangely.

 

“They are all my favourites. You remember.” Chloe whispered.

 

Beca smiled, “Of course I remember.” She couldn’t help but reach out a hand to brush a loose strand of hair from Chloe’s face. Chloe closed her eyes at the touch, letting out a content sigh and Beca was mesmerized. Because the last rays of the sun lazily played over Chloe’s dress and painted her hair in a more flaming colour, her face aglow. “I remember every little thing about you.” Beca added in a whisper, dropping her hand.

 

Chloe opened her eyes, tears glistening on her eyelashes and she could feel warmth rushing through her entire body. She curved her lips into a blinding smile, before finally breaking eye contact with Beca to grab a sandwich from the plate on the blanket. Beca followed suit, and the two started eating their dinner watching the sunset, with the soft music coming from the car radio.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Without even realizing, it had already been 2 hours, and the two of them had been talking and laughing non-stop. They had talked about Chloe’s vet school years, some weird people Beca met back when she was playing music on the street, the songs that the brunette was currently writing and so much more, and Chloe felt like she hadn’t had such a good time for so long.

 

“…so then that giant Alaskan Malamute just tackled Emily to the ground and started licking her face! In the end Emily just gave up trying to stand up. She hugged him and stayed there on the ground for almost 20 minutes, until Cynthia Rose and I went to rescue her.” Chloe chuckled at the memory and was excitedly telling Beca funny stories from her clinic.

 

Beca listened intently with a soft smile on her face. She loved that Chloe was able to find her dream job. And the redhead was clearly passionate about it. She would talk really fast, lips curving upwards in excitement, and there was a sparkly glint in her eyes that made Beca feel a little lightheaded. Beca tried to memorize everything Chloe said. Her heart still ached thinking about the fact that she missed 8 years in the redhead’s life, but she was here now. She would learn everything in those lost years and she would stay in Chloe’s life from now on, creating so many more new memories with the redhead together.

 

Chloe put the last bite of blueberry pie in her mouth and smiled at Beca, heartbeats thumping wildly. At first, she worried for a while if her stories would bore the brunette, because they normally did for anyone else she had dated. But then she saw Beca’s soft gaze, she instantly knew that the brunette was genuinely interested, and she remembered it was Beca that she was talking to, not anybody else. Her heart swelled with happiness that she was finally able to find someone that would listen to everything she said, joking and laughing with her.

 

Chloe was just about to launch into another story about an adorable bunny she treated the other day, when Beca noticed that there was a little bit of custard from the pie left on the corner of Chloe’s mouth. Without thinking, she reached out her hand.

 

“You got a little something there…” Beca whispered, wiping the custard away gently. And then, she lingered her fingers there for a few seconds, gazing intently at the redhead’s lips before snapping her eyes back up to Chloe’s crystal blue orbs, seeing that the redhead was already looking at her lips as well.

 

Beca leaned a little bit closer to Chloe and took it as a good sign that the redhead didn’t move away. She traced Chloe’s lower lip lightly with the tip of her thumb, continuing to lean in slowly, inch by inch and watching Chloe close her eyes under her feather-light touches. Beca closed her eyes as well, letting herself get lost in the sweet scent of Chloe’s perfume and she could feel Chloe’s breath on her lips.

 

But just when their lips were about to touch, a familiar melody came on the radio that somehow crept into their own isolated bubble. Beca snapped her eyes open, knowing Chloe heard that song too because the redhead had opened her eyes as well, looking surprised. So Beca quickly retrieved her hand and sat back, blushing lightly.

 

Chloe was also a little flustered, cheeks turning crimson. She let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding and felt her heart flip in her chest even though the kiss didn’t happen.

 

After they both spent a few seconds calming down, they finally acknowledged the song currently playing on the radio. It was _Photograph_. Chloe’s favourite song. They looked at each other and burst into laughter.

 

“Did you plan this? What are the odds that this song just happens to come on the radio?” Chloe joked, giggling.

 

“Yep, I went to the radio station earlier and blackmailed them to play this song at this exact moment. I’m very powerful Beale.” Beca winked at the redhead.

 

Chloe laughed harder and just shook her head.

 

“Dance with me?” Beca said after a moment of silence.

 

Chloe looked up at Beca and felt her heart skip a beat at the soft look in Beca’s eyes.

 

Beca stood up and extended her hand to Chloe with a hopeful look. Chloe took it and they started dancing slowly to the song in the middle of the meadow. Then suddenly Beca kicked off her boots.

 

“After all these years, I’m still pretty clumsy, as always. So you know, when I inevitably step on your toes later, it’ll be less painful with my boots off.” Beca said half-seriously, half-jokingly.

 

Chloe giggled and kicked off her shoes as well. So now, they were dancing barefoot on the soft grass, under the stars.

 

The sun was long gone by now, and since the park didn’t have great lighting facilities other than a few scattered dimly-lit streetlamps, the moonlight became their primary light source. The soft white glow poured down from above, bathing them, illuminating the meadow. However, Chloe didn’t even care if she could make out her surroundings at all, she only needed to be able to see Beca clearly. And that was enough, the rest all became silhouettes anyway. She didn’t even feel scared in the rather dim park, because Beca was standing in front of her, hands resting on her lower back and holding her close. And she never felt safer.

 

Chloe broke her eye contact with Beca for a moment. She lifted her head up to look at all the stars above and was in awe. She didn’t expect to see such as clear and silky sky with so many stars. It was so rare to see stars glittering in the sky in the city, and she couldn’t remember the last time that she even took a moment to look up at the sky during the night.

 

After admiring the starry night sky for a while, Chloe looked back at Beca and suddenly forgot how to breathe. Beca never took her eyes off Chloe, not even for a second. The moonlight reflected in her dark blue eyes perfectly, and Chloe could see all the emotions in them clearly. Then just like that, she instantly lost interest in all the twinkling stars above her and couldn’t move her eyes away from Beca’s anymore, because those navy-blue eyes already had all the galaxy she needed.

 

A sudden breeze dishevelled Chloe’s hair. She quickly raised her hand to tuck those loose strands back behind her ears while laughing, “This wind is messing up my hair!”

 

“You look perfect.” Beca smiled and brought up a hand to softly caress Chloe’s left cheek. Chloe instantly teared up. She blinked back her tears and leaned closer to rest her head on Beca’s shoulder, closing her eyes. And the two of them just continued to dance slowly to the mellow sound on the radio, feeling as if the time had stopped and it was just the two of them, dancing barefoot under a star-speckled sky, feeling each other’s heartbeats, in the warm spring zephyr.

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2018 everyone! Sorry that it's been a while since I last updated, but hopefully this chapter could make up for it! ;)

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe felt like she was in a dream. A really, really vivid dream.

 

Because sometimes she would still wonder if her life right now was in fact all real. Every morning, she would wake up to a ‘good morning’ text from Beca, and then there would be a bouquet of daffodils waiting for her at her office. Sometimes, the brunette would even come to the clinic to pay her a surprise visit, or just to bring her lunch because she knew the redhead tended to skip meals. And Chloe didn’t even need to see the food to know that they would all be her favourites. She knew Beca wasn’t doing all those things just for show or to get on the redhead’s good side. It was just how Beca was. It was just the hopelessly romantic and sweet side of the brunette that not many people knew of. And this feeling, this giddy, rapturous yet somehow ineffable feeling that she would get every day since the second she opened her eyes might just be how it felt being loved by Beca Mitchell. It might just be how it felt being in love with Beca Mitchell.

 

And if she was indeed in a dream, she didn’t want to wake up from it.

 

Chloe fluttered her eyes open, hearing her phone chime on her nightstand. She blinked, reached out a hand to grab her phone and instantly smiled upon seeing the text message.

 

**Morning beautiful! Hope you slept well! I miss you terribly already :(  – B**

Chloe blushed lightly, yes, blushed. Even without presence, the brunette still had the ability to make her blush like a teenage girl and she was glad that no one could see her right now.

 

 **I miss you too, but tomorrow night is our date night and I’m really excited about this!** **– C**

**Yeah? What do you have in mind? – B**

**Well, it’s a surprise ;) All you need to do is show up at my apartment at 6. The restaurant is closed tmr right? – C**

**Yep, and I’ll ask Jesse to see if I could take a night off at the bar as well. – B**

**Awes! I can’t wait and I wish I could see you right now :( – C**

**You might see me later, who knows? Better keep your eyes open ;) – B**

Chloe laughed. Although she would love to see Beca during the day, she knew the brunette needed to sleep, so she quickly replied,

 

**You better get some sleep young lady. Didn’t you just get back from the bar? Now go to SLEEP! – C**

**Okay okay! You are getting bossy Beale ;) – B**

Chloe chuckled, happily putting down her phone. After a lot of persuading and some pouting, she had finally convinced the brunette to let her plan a date for them. She didn’t want Beca to do all the work and she wanted to show Beca she was serious about them as well. So finally, tomorrow was it, and she had just the perfect thing in mind.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca was on her water break the night before her date with Chloe, busying herself texting the redhead, with a content smile on her face. Chloe couldn’t make it to the bar to see her tonight since something came up last-minute at the clinic, so the two had been texting each other at every opportunity they could get.

 

“Oh God, I guess I’ll have to get used to seeing a love-struck Beca from now on.” Fat Amy teased the brunette, “Seriously, Beca, do your cheeks hurt from all the smiling?”

 

Beca finished typing and looked up at Amy, “Deal with it Amy! And what can I say? I’m happy.”

 

Fat Amy chuckled, “Yeah, literally everyone can see that Beca! Yesterday there was a girl asking me why you didn’t sing those sad songs anymore! Apparently she just broke up with her boyfriend and came here to listen to you, hoping to get a good cry. But you just kept playing those really cute and sappy songs and I think this messed up that poor girl’s mind even worse!”

 

Beca rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything else, she saw Jesse walk out of his office. So she called out, “Hey, Jesse, do you think I could get a night off tomorrow?”

 

Jesse walked over to Beca and Fat Amy, “Sure, Bec. Why, what’s wrong?”

 

Beca blushed a little, “Nothing’s wrong, it’s just Chloe and I have a date tomorrow night, so…”

 

Jesse laughed, “Where are you taking her this time?”

 

“Actually, Chloe insisted that she should plan the date this time, and she wouldn’t tell me anything about it, so I don’t really know what we’ll be doing.” Beca answered honestly.

 

“You think you’ll finally get lucky tomorrow night?” Fat Amy smirked.

 

“What?! No Amy! How many times did I tell you that I won’t be discussing my sex life with you?! It’s bad enough that you already scared me into telling you my life stories, now don’t ever think I’ll talk about this kind of stuff with you!”

 

Fat Amy shrugged, “Fine. I just don’t understand. You love her, she loves you. What are you guys waiting for?”

 

Jesse hummed, “I agree with Fat Amy. Life is short, Beca. Don’t waste time.”

 

Beca stared at her two friends. What was this? An intervention? Fine, then she might as well make use of it and maybe get some advice.

 

So she sighed, “I don’t know. We agreed to take things slow. And I’m quite happy with how everything is slowly developing right now. I mean we haven’t said ‘I love you’ since her birthday. And we only had an almost kiss the other day. But you know I’m just as happy being able to hug her and hold her hands again.”    

 

Jesse smiled, “I know Beca, but I think Chloe can see that you guys are going to work this time, and I know for a fact that if you ask her to be your girlfriend again, she’ll agree.”

 

Beca thought about it for a second, “Well, I’ll have to think about it. Thanks Jesse.” She paused, before scrunching up her face, “You guys are far too involved in my love life for my liking.”

 

Jesse laughed, and went to high-five Fat Amy, while Beca just rolled her eyes at her two friends before walking off to go onto the stage again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Bree, can you hand me the tablecloth please?” Chloe called out to her best friend while she was trying to arrange the daisies that she bought in a vase and also placing some of them on the ground to create a casual look.

 

They were currently on the rooftop of Chloe’s apartment building. Chloe decided to plan a perfect rooftop dinner for their date night and had been busy setting everything up since this morning, with Aubrey’s help.

 

Aubrey brought the white tablecloth to Chloe, seeing the flowers, “Why daisies?”

 

“Because they are Beca’s favourite flowers.” Chloe took the tablecloth from Aubrey and spread it on the table, satisfied with her work, “She used to tell me that they represent true love because every flower is actually two flowers blended together in perfect harmony, and…” Chloe trailed off, the smile on her face growing bigger.

 

“And what?” Aubrey asked curiously.

 

“And when I went to buy the flowers, the florist told me that they also symbolize new beginnings.” Chloe answered.

 

 _New beginnings._ Chloe smiled at this idea. She knew she had told the brunette that she wanted them to take things slow and not rush into anything, but that was because she really wanted them to work this time. They hadn’t had the girlfriend talk yet, but after the past few wonderful and dreamy days, she had been thinking about bringing it up herself lately. And if Beca asked her to be her girlfriend first, she knew she would probably say yes. No, definitely. She would definitely say yes. Even though sometimes she could still feel a faint hint of insecurity in the back of her mind, she knew for sure that she would love to be Beca Mitchell’s girlfriend again.

 

Aubrey smiled at her friend, and cleared her throat a little to bring the redhead out of her trance, “Well then they’re definitely perfect for this date. But you need to hurry, only 1 hour left before your beloved musician arrives.”

 

Chloe checked everything she had arranged on the small rooftop. Fairy lights, check. Candles, check. Flowers, check. Portable speaker, check. Tableware, check.

 

“Okay, I think I’ve got everything set, I just need to bring the food up later. Am I missing something Bree?” Chloe asked thoughtfully.

 

Aubrey shrugged, “I don’t think so? I mean it already looks pretty great.”

 

Chloe took another look around the rooftop, “Why do I feel like I’ve missed something…”

 

“Don’t be paranoid Chloe, it looks perfect to me. So just relax and enjoy your date with the hobbit.”

 

Chloe smiled, “Thanks Bree, for helping me with this. And you know when Beca finds out you’ve been calling her the hobbit, she’s going to get back at you.” She finished with a giggle.

 

“Well, can you think of a better name? And tell her to bring it on, I’m not afraid of her.”

 

“Yeah yeah, now let’s go downstairs, I need to take the food out of the oven.” Chloe laughed, before dragging Aubrey away back to her apartment.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca had been knocking on Chloe’s apartment door for 5 minutes. No answer. She frowned, and took out her phone from her jean pocket to text the redhead, but found a text message from the redhead already.

 

**Come upstairs to the rooftop Becs ;) – C**

Beca smiled, putting her phone back and followed the redhead’s instruction to go to the rooftop. With each step she took on the stairs, she felt like every fibre of her body was vibrating with anticipation. She chuckled to herself, only Chloe could make her feel like this.

 

She normally hated surprises, but with Chloe, she would feel butterflies in her stomach and heart flips in her chest. She hated movies, but she would sit on the couch for hours with Chloe watching some cheesy comedy, laughing and eating popcorn, or wiping away the redhead’s tears when they were watching a sad movie. She hated dancing, but when she had Chloe in her arms, she would feel complete and she never wanted to let go of the redhead. She hated when people invaded her personal space or anything that would show affection, but she wanted to hold Chloe’s hands and to hug and kiss her every second of the day, every day for the rest of her life. And there were so many other things as well. Chloe could make her squeal like a girly girl, make her pout, make her want to cuddle… She felt like she was a different person when she was with Chloe, but at the same time, she’d never felt more at ease and content. So maybe under the tough and cold armour, that was actually her true self, and only Chloe can bring out her true self. Only Chloe can make all her life principles and rules irrelevant.

 

Beca reached the rooftop entrance. Knowing Chloe was waiting for her on the other side of it, she didn’t waste another second to pull the door open. But the scene in front of her immediately sent her into a completely and utterly speechless trance. She just froze at the door, hand still on the door handle and eyes widening in astonishment.

 

Because the second she opened that door, she was met with a sea of lights. There were fairy lights hanging up all around the small rooftop, twinkling and illuminating the whole space. On the ground, there were candles lying everywhere, their tiny flames swaying with the gentle breeze. And Chloe, Chloe was standing in the middle of the rooftop next to a small table, smiling at her. Even being surrounded by all those dazzling lights, her smile still shined the brightest to such an extent that it was almost blinding. The candlelight and the fairy lights added a soft touch of gold to Chloe’s figure, and it looked like she was glowing.

 

Beca was amazed, actually no, amazed couldn’t describe what she was feeling right now. She watched Chloe bounce over to her, and the world just slipped away under her feet.

 

“What do you think? Do you like it?” Chloe asked, looking into Beca’s wide eyes, while bringing out a single daisy from behind her back and handing it over to Beca.

 

Beca blinked. She looked down at the daisy before taking the flower. “You remember my favourite flower?” She smiled and admired the daisy, touching the petals lightly.

 

“Of course, and I hope Italian food is okay for tonight? I made lasagne, and I know you always like to have those four kinds of cheese in it. I also got us some salad and tiramisu—”

 

“It’s perfect Chlo.” Beca reached out to take Chloe’s hand, intertwining their fingers, “And all of this is amazing. I love it. Very much.”

 

Chloe grinned, leaning in to place a kiss on Beca’s cheek, “Come on, let’s go sit down and eat!”

 

Beca laughed, and let the eager redhead drag her to the small table which was surrounded by even more candles and daisies, feeling a little lightheaded.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I’ve been writing a new song lately.” Beca told Chloe, while sipping grape juice from her wine glass. She found it really cute that the redhead used grape juice in place of wine for their rooftop dinner, and her heart was warmed by this sweet gesture.

 

Chloe’s eyes lit up at hearing this, “Yeah? That’s great Beca! What’s it about?”

 

 _You_. Beca thought. She smiled at the beaming redhead and said, “Actually it’s quite different from all my past songs. I guess I’ve found some new inspiration and I’m really excited about it.”

 

“Really? Can I hear it?” Chloe bounced lightly in her chair.

 

Beca laughed, because Chloe looked exactly like a little kid that was just about to receive her Christmas presents.

 

“Of course, it’s just that I still need to add a few final touches to it. But you’ll definitely be the first to hear it, I promise.”

 

Chloe squealed excitedly, earning another laugh from Beca. She just really missed being the brunette’s number one fan. Because she got to witness all the magic behind the scenes. She got to see the creation process of all those beautiful songs. And she loved the fact that she was always Beca’s first audience for every new song that she wrote.

 

The redhead let out a content sigh, reaching out a hand to pick up her wine glass but suddenly froze when her fingers were just about to touch the glass. Because she noticed a droplet out of nowhere fell into her drink, causing a few tiny ripples.  

 

Chloe blinked, not sure if she was just seeing things. Then she heard Beca’s voice, “Chlo? What’s wrong?”

 

Just as Chloe turned her head to look at Beca, she saw another droplet dripped onto her plate, followed by another one, and another one. _Oh please don’t be…_ She prayed, and her heart was suddenly racing.

 

As if on cue, torrents of rain started pouring down, splattering on the rooftop haphazardly.

 

 _You’ve got to be kidding me!_ It took Chloe’s brain a few seconds to grasp what was happening, and she finally remembered the one thing she forgot to check. The weather forecast.

 

_Great._

And of course the redhead didn’t bring any umbrellas up here, since she didn’t even suspect it was going to rain!

 

Chloe looked back at Beca with wide eyes, stunned.

 

“Come on Chlo, let’s go back.” Beca quickly stood up from her chair, taking Chloe’s hand to pull her up as well.

 

Chloe suddenly came back to her senses, she gripped Beca’s hand and started to run to the rooftop door with the brunette in tow. She reached out for the door handle and prepared to push the door open without slowing down. However, the door simply refused to budge and the force of impact nearly knocked her down. Luckily, Beca was behind her so she caught the redhead just in time.

 

“Whoa, easy there. Chlo, are you okay?” Beca asked, helping Chloe to regain her balance.

 

Chloe quickly nodded, before surging forward to try the door handle again, but the door just wouldn’t open.

 

After several failed attempts, she finally dropped her hands, “It’s locked.” She told Beca, defeated.

 

“What?! What do you mean it’s locked?!” The brunette couldn’t believe it, she went to try the handle herself and realized that Chloe was right. The door was locked. And they were trapped on the rooftop, without any shelter in this sudden downpour of rain.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, Aubrey, thanks… Stop laughing! Okay, see you.” Chloe hung up the phone and huffed. “Aubrey said she’s leaving now to come here and rescue us.” She said to Beca.

 

They were currently hiding under a small eave beside the entrance door, but it was hardly acting as a shelter. Their clothes were mostly soaked by now, and the rain didn’t seem to be subsiding any time soon.

 

Seeing the redhead start to shiver a little in the rain, Beca took off her leather jacket and held it above her head, calling out to Chloe, “Get in here, Chlo. I think this is a bit better shelter.”

 

Chloe moved closer to Beca and hid under her leather jacket with the brunette, letting out a frustrated groan, “I can’t believe it! Does the universe hate me or something?! A heavy rain is not enough, it just has to lock us out here too!”

 

Beca watched the redhead in amusement. She didn’t actually care if they were trapped or not. Sure, everything didn’t exactly go as planned, but Chloe was here with her, and that was enough.

 

The redhead went on ranting, “I mean, I’ve lived here for all these years and I’ve never heard that the rooftop door would be locked. Why did Earl just have to lock it today? There are people trying to have a romantic date up here and locking them out is just rude.”

 

“Maybe he checked the weather forecast, unlike someone, and thought it was safer to lock the door.” Beca teased the redhead.

 

Chloe gasped, “Hey I know I forgot to check the forecast in the first place, but as a building manager, he should be answering his phone and coming up here to rescue his tenant okay?!”

 

“Okay, if you say so.” Beca laughed.

 

“Why are you laughing Beca?! This isn’t funny!” Chloe turned her head to glare at Beca, but suddenly became aware of how close they were.

 

Beca’s right arm was around her shoulder, holding her close, and her hands were gripping her leather jacket above Chloe’s head to shield them from some of the rain. She could hear Beca’s breathing, steady and comforting. And if she looked closely, she could see some tiny raindrops glistening on the brunette’s long eyelashes.

 

Chloe felt a little hypnotized all of a sudden. In that moment, all the other noises seemed to fade away, and all she could hear was her own thumping heartbeats. All she could feel was Beca’s arm around her. It almost felt like it was just them against the world, standing on a rooftop in New York City in an unexpected downpour. And Beca’s leather jacket created a small shield for them, protecting them, and there was nowhere else that Chloe would rather be.

 

But then, this shield above her head seemed to be shaking a little. Chloe blinked and looked over at Beca, seeing the brunette was laughing. It started with a light chuckle, and soon became a loud hearty laugh.

 

Chloe folded her arms and tried to maintain a straight face, glaring at Beca, which only made the brunette laugh even harder. After a while, she finally failed to stop the corners of her own mouth from lifting up into a smile. _Okay, this whole mishap was a little bit funny._ And soon she was giggling as well, joining Beca in the light-hearted laughter.

 

She reached out a hand to push Beca’s arm away playfully, making the brunette drop her jacket and finally calm down a little from her delirious state.

 

“You know, I was hoping we could dance on the rooftop later tonight if it wasn’t raining.” Chloe said softly, smiling at Beca, “I was really hoping this date could be perfect but…” She trailed off and let out a small sigh, looking around the rooftop. The candles were long extinguished by the raindrops, and the fairy lights were smudged by the rain which was still falling in sheets.

 

“We still can you know.”

 

“What—” Chloe didn’t even finish saying the word when Beca suddenly took her hand and dragged her towards the middle of the rooftop.

 

“WE STILL CAN DANCE!” Beca was shouting a little to make herself heard above the noise of the rain.

 

Chloe was a little stunned. She watched Beca grin widely in the rain and hold out her hands for the redhead to take. So she took them without any hesitation, and Beca immediately led her into a twirl, making her let out a surprised yelp.

 

“Smooth, Mitchell.” When the redhead spun around, she was already giggling uncontrollably, feeling flocks of butterflies dancing wildly in her stomach, despite the pouring rain.

 

“Anything else that you wanted to do for tonight?” Beca asked, “You know this light rain is nothing.” She finished and jumped into a puddle near the table, creating a small splash.

 

“You are crazy.” Chloe laughed at the brunette’s childish demeanour.

 

“I’m crazy about you.” Beca’s soft voice made Chloe snap her head up and look into the brunette’s captivating stormy blue eyes.

 

Beca lifted their intertwined hands and held them next to her heart, “Every second with you is perfect to me.” She whispered, but Chloe heard it loud and clear.

 

Beca gazed intently at the redhead in front of her. She watched the redhead’s lips curve upwards into a bright smile; watched her half bite her bottom lip; watched her cerulean eyes flick down to her lips for a split second.

 

And in that very moment, Beca decided to just follow her heart for once, to let go all the worries, all the doubts, all the fears, all the insecurities and just let her heart take over.

 

So she pulled Chloe closer by her hands and connected their lips.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe had probably kissed Beca a million times before, but every time felt like the first time. It sounded cheesy, but it was true. And this time even more so.

 

It was a slow and soft kiss, but wasn’t lacking any passion or magic. Beca’s lips felt familiar, they felt like home to Chloe. And the second their lips touched, those eight lost years in the middle started to drift away. It almost felt like she had never stopped kissing Beca, because their lips were still moving in perfect sync. Kissing Beca was exactly as how she remembered it, intoxicating and electrifying.  

 

And this time, this time there was something new. The rain slid down their faces to where their lips met, and Chloe kissed the slightly chill droplets from Beca’s warm lips, feeling the brunette’s lips smile against hers, and then the rest of the world just slowly disappeared. It was just her and Beca, standing in the middle of a pouring rain, kissing like there was no tomorrow. She felt her knees were getting weak, but Beca was holding her tight, so she knew she would be safe. Her hands were still in Beca’s firm grip, resting near the brunette’s heart, feeling her each and every heartbeat.  

 

After what felt like hours, they reluctantly broke apart, panting and smiling at each other. Chloe gazed at Beca, seeing the brunette would blink when raindrops fell on her cheekbones, her lips curling upwards. She suddenly felt like even if the world started crumbling away around her right now, she would still have nothing to fear as long as she was looking at Beca.

 

“I’m crazy about you too.” She whispered, before leaning in and crashing their lips together again, in a more passionate and more urgent kiss.

 

She brought up a hand to sweep Beca’s wet brown locks aside and rested the hand on the back of the brunette’s neck, deepening the kiss.

 

Beca smiled into the kiss. She placed a hand on the redhead’s waist, pulled her even closer and brought up her other hand to gently caress Chloe’s cheek, adding more pressure into their lips, while savouring every moment.

 

They broke apart for air just for a brief second before locking their lips together again. Neither of them wanted to stop or even cared about the soaked clothes clinging to their bodies, their lips just spontaneously sought each other out, hungry for more.

 

“Are you two done? I’ve literally been standing here for 5 minutes!”

 

Aubrey’s voice startled the two, and they seemed to finally come back to reality from their own private world.

 

Chloe looked over at the rooftop entrance, seeing her best friend was holding the door open, a giant umbrella in her hand.

 

Beca laughed, and quickly went to give the redhead a final peck on the lips, before taking her hand and running towards the door.

 

Chloe looked down at their intertwined hands and she wondered if this was how forever felt like.

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

 

“Ugh, I hate being sick.” Beca whined, and sneezed a few times violently, feeling like her throat was on fire.

 

Fat Amy put a glass of water on the counter in front of Beca, looking at the now coughing brunette sympathetically, “You know, you should really stay at home and get some rest. I don’t get why you still come here tonight, it’s not like you could sing anyway.”

 

Beca blew her nose quite loudly, and picked up the glass that Fat Amy just put down, gulping down half of the water. “I can still play the guitar or the keyboard, I just couldn’t sing. My fingers still function pretty well you know.” She insisted.

 

“Even if that’s the case, I still don’t think it’s very good for you to stay for the whole shift until 4am. You need to rest Beca, and get some sleep at normal bedtime.” Jesse walked over and sat down on the bar stool next to Beca.

 

“I’ll be fine Jesse, I’ve already asked for plenty nights off this month, I don’t want to—”

 

“Don’t be silly Beca, you need to rest and you know it.” Jesse interrupted the brunette, “I’ve decided to give you 7 nights off, go home and sleep will ya? If you feel bad about missing work, then rest and get better quickly so you can come back sooner.”

 

“What? Jesse that’s not necessary!”

 

Jesse sighed, “I knew you’d be this stubborn, which was why I called your girlfriend to come pick you up and make sure you go home and rest.” He finished with a smirk.

 

Beca’s eyes widened, “Chloe? She’s… we didn’t…” She suddenly got all flustered and burst into another coughing fit.

 

After finally calming down, she finished the sentence, “We haven’t had the talk yet.”

 

“What? I thought you said you were going to ask her to be your girlfriend the other day?!” Jesse was surprised.

 

“No, I said I would think about it, and I didn’t find any opportunity to ask I guess.”

 

“So what are you guys now? Friends that would sometimes make out and kiss in the rain?” Fat Amy teased the brunette.

 

Beca shot Fat Amy a disapproving look, before sighing lightly, “I don’t know.” She said honestly, “I’m actually kind of scared to bring up the talk. I feel like it’s probably going too fast. I don’t know if Chloe is ready and I don’t want to scare her away.”

 

“You’ll never know if you don’t ask her Beca. Talk to her, okay?” Jesse said, “As your personal relationship counsellor, I know Chloe will say yes. For god’s sake, you guys have already kissed in the rain, and if that’s not screaming relationship I don’t know what is.”

 

“Talking about kissing in the rain, I guess movies never tell you that romantic gestures may actually have costs afterwards.” Fat Amy chuckled, “You do get sick when you spend too much time in the cold rain in New York, you know?”

 

“Thanks Amy, I’m learning something new every day.” Beca said sarcastically, rolling her eyes slightly.

 

“To be honest, I always thought Jesse would be the one to pull off this kind of thing. Didn’t expect our superstar here to be this romantic.” Fat Amy wiggled her eyebrows at Beca.

 

“All you need is the right person Amy,” Jesse said in a sing-song voice, “I’ve always known that Beca is secretly a romantic softie.”

 

Beca groaned, she seriously needed to stop telling these two things. Having Stacie constantly bugging her about the details of her date with Chloe was annoying enough, now she had to listen to Jesse and Fat Amy tease her about it as well.

 

“Anyway, I’m not going home Jesse, I told you I could still play.” Beca decided to change the topic.

 

Jesse smirked, seeing Chloe walk into the bar, “Well, that’s not up to you anymore young lady, the ‘girlfriend’ has arrived.”

 

Beca turned her head and instantly smiled seeing Chloe bouncing over to her.

 

“Hey guys!” The redhead said cheerfully, waving at Jesse and Fat Amy. She then leaned down trying to kiss Beca on the lips, but frowned when Beca turned her head a little to avoid the kiss.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Beca took Chloe’s hand and linked their fingers, “I’m sick, Chlo, and this is a contagious disease you know.”

 

Chloe pouted, “I don’t mind Becs, I want to kiss you. Plus I feel bad for getting you sick because I forgot to check the weather forecast that day.”

 

Beca laughed at the pouting redhead. She tilted her head and tapped her right cheek with her index finger, “Right here then, Doctor Beale.”

 

Chloe grinned, before happily leaning down to place several light kisses on Beca’s right cheek.

 

“Seriously you two are too cute, I almost can’t handle this amount of cuteness.” Fat Amy commented from behind the counter, “Trust me, one time I saw a koala nursing a baby kangaroo, and it’s not as cute as you guys.”

 

Beca rolled her eyes, standing up to pick up her guitar and trying to go to the stage, but was instantly stopped by the redhead.

 

“Beca what are you doing?”

 

“Going to play the guitar, why?” Beca asked.

 

“Oh no, you are not playing tonight. Jesse told me he gave you 7 nights off to rest, so that’s exactly what you are going to do okay?” Chloe went to take the guitar from Beca’s hand and put it back in the guitar case.

 

“But—”

 

“No buts! Let’s get you home and get some sleep, doctor’s orders.”

 

“You are a vet and I’m not an animal.” Beca smirked.

 

“We are all animals Beca, and are you questioning my authority?” Chloe feigned offence.

 

“What? Of course not, I—”

 

“Then you’d better listen to what I said. People are trying to care for you Becs.” Chloe started to pack Beca’s stuff, “Now say thank you to Jesse for giving you some nights off and let’s go home.”

 

“Fine…” Beca pouted lightly, “Thanks Jesse, and bye guys.”

 

“Stop pouting!” Chloe laughed and leaned in to place another kiss on the corner of Beca’s mouth, “I’ve never seen anyone this unhappy when they don’t have to work.”

 

Beca rolled her eyes, and let Chloe drag her towards the door and out of the bar.

 

After the two left, Fat Amy turned to Jesse and burst into loud laughter, “Oh my God, superstar is WHIPPED.”

 

Jesse smiled, “That’s what soulmates look like Amy. I’m telling you, if they don’t end up getting married, I’m seriously gonna burn my entire collection of movies!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe parked her car outside Beca’s apartment building and turned to look at Beca, but found that the brunette had already fallen asleep.

 

“Becs? Beca?” She reached over to touch Beca’s cheek trying to wake her up, but instantly frowned because the brunette’s cheek felt a little hot.

 

She then placed her hand on Beca’s forehead to feel her temperature, and got a little worried. It seemed that the brunette was having a mild fever.

 

“Beca.” Chloe tried again, this time shaking Beca’s shoulder slightly.

 

Beca stirred and opened her eyes, “Are we here?” She brought up a hand to rub her sore eyes, before coughing a little.

 

Chloe nodded, “Come on, let’s get you home. You seem to have a light fever.”

 

Beca shrugged, “I’ll probably just sleep it off, don’t worry.”

 

“No you are not going to sleep if off. You need to take some medicine and have someone take care of you. Come on, let’s go upstairs.” And before Beca could protest, Chloe stepped out of her car, gathered Beca’s stuff and helped the brunette out of the car and into the apartment building.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Back in the apartment, seeing the brunette was indeed having a fever after taking her temperature, Chloe let Beca change into her pyjamas and went to the kitchen to get the brunette some water along with some medicine to reduce her fever.

 

The redhead walked into the bedroom a few minutes later, with a glass of water and a few pills in her hands, seeing Beca had already buried herself under the covers, her cheeks a little red from the fever. She sat down on the bed and put the glass on the nightstand, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on the brunette’s burning cheek, “Come on, Becs, you need to take this medicine, and then you can sleep okay?” She said softly to Beca.

 

Beca pouted, reluctantly sitting up to take the pills and gulping down the whole glass of water, “I feel dizzy.” She lay back down, took Chloe’s hand and intertwined their fingers, refusing to let go.

 

Chloe chuckled, “That’s normal Becs, the fever got you a little lightheaded huh?” She used her other hand to tuck Beca in and brush a few strands of brown locks away from her face, “But you’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise.” She finished and kissed the brunette’s forehead gently.

 

Seeing Beca was shivering a little, Chloe wanted to go and get an extra blanket for Beca but the brunette simply wouldn’t let go of her hand.

 

“Stay.” The brunette whispered with her eyes closed.

 

Chloe smiled. She sat back down on the bed and watched Beca for a while. Not wanting the brunette to feel cold, she decided to go lie down beside Beca and cuddle with her under the covers.

 

“Is this better? Are you still cold?” Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca’s waist from behind, hugging her close.

 

Beca grinned, shaking her head slightly and letting out a content sigh, while sinking into Chloe’s warm embrace.

 

“Thank you Chlo.” Beca whispered after a moment of comfortable silence.

 

“For what?” Chloe pressed a kiss to the back of Beca’s neck and nuzzled into her brown locks.

 

Beca turned around in Chloe’s arms, burying her face into the crook of the redhead’s neck. Chloe smiled, she almost forgot that whenever Beca was sick, the brunette tended to be more affectionate and more touchy-feely than her usual self.

 

“Thank you for taking care of me, and… thank you for finding me again and coming back to me. I’m used to being alone… but it’s nice to have someone take care of you I guess.”

 

Chloe’s heart broke a little. She didn’t say anything, just wrapping her arms around Beca tighter.

 

After a while, just when Chloe thought the brunette was asleep and tried to move out of the bed, she heard Beca mumble in her feverish state, almost inaudibly, “Please don’t leave me.”

 

Chloe blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, tightening her hold and hugging Beca even closer, “I won’t. You are not alone anymore, I’m here. I’ll take care of you. We’ll take care of each other.”

 

Beca hummed, “I love you.” She murmured sleepily and not even five seconds after, she slipped into a deep sleep, cuddling into Chloe’s side.

 

Chloe froze. She listened carefully to Beca’s breathing, and after hearing it become even and making sure the brunette was indeed asleep, she placed another lingering kiss on Beca’s forehead, “I love you too.” She whispered, and closed her eyes as well, letting Beca’s steady breathing lure her into her own slumber.

 

  

* * *

 

 

Chloe was getting frustrated with herself lately as days went by. She and Beca still hadn’t had the talk. And she started to wish that they didn’t take things this slow, because now, every time she was so close to bringing it up, she would chicken out and go talk about some other random topics instead. She didn’t understand herself. Just a few days ago, she was actually kind of looking forward to the talk and was trying to find the perfect moment to bring it up herself. But now, it seemed like the longer she waited, the longer she spent wondering about what they had now, the more insecure and panicky she would feel. She knew Beca loved her and she was in love with Beca as well, but she just couldn’t shake off those stupid insecurities stuck in the back of her mind. They had been there for 8 years, so she guessed that was probably why she was having a such hard time rooting them out. They would appear from time to time, tugging at her heart, making her have doubts, making her swallow the ‘I love you’ on the tip of her tongue, making her avoid the girlfriend talk whenever she sensed Beca was about to bring it up. She wasn’t avoiding the talk because she didn’t know what she was going to say, she knew she would say yes anyway because she really wanted to be Beca’s girlfriend again. It was just that she didn’t want to say yes when she was still having doubts about their future, when she would still wonder if things would work out this time. She wanted to be Beca’s girlfriend with all her heart, free of any insecurities, just all in.

 

And of course, the redhead was so grateful for Beca’s patience with her. Her heart warmed knowing Beca was letting her take her time and was waiting for her to be ready, which made her get even angrier with herself. She wanted so bad to become her younger self again from 8 years ago, to completely put her heart out there without any hesitation and to love fiercely without holding back, but clearly that was not how things worked. Now, her subconscious had already built a defence mechanism to protect her heart. She would always wonder about the future. 5 years later, 10 years later, 20 years later… what would happen then? Would they still be in love? How could she be certain that things wouldn’t fall apart? How could she know for sure she wouldn’t get hurt again? Or worse, what if history repeated itself and they ended up hurting each other just like all those years ago? And the uncertainty terrified her because she couldn’t have control over those things. What’s worse, she was also scared that if she took too long to be ready, Beca would lose patience and then they wouldn’t even have 1 year later, let alone 10 years or 20 years later.

 

Chloe knew she couldn’t keep being indecisive like this, she would have to find a way to get over her insecurities soon, or it wouldn’t be fair to Beca. But what she didn’t know was that the brunette understood all her concerns and fears. Because Beca used to have all of them as well. She used to fear the unknown, have thousands of doubts and was terrified of changes. But just like Jesse said, life was short, so why should they waste time? She knew what she wanted now. And that was Chloe. She still blamed herself for making Chloe become insecure and guarded, but that was okay. She would show Chloe that she wasn’t going anywhere, that she would always be right by the redhead’s side from now on.

* * *

 

“Chlo, are you free tomorrow night?” Beca asked from the couch, her phone in her left hand.

 

“Yeah, I think so. Why?” Chloe walked over from the kitchen to sit down next to the brunette. She had been coming over to Beca’s apartment after work to look after the sick brunette for the past few days. The redhead was pleased that Beca recovered rather quickly and was able to sing again, but she still forced Beca to stay at home and rest until the last day of her sick leave instead of going back to work early.

 

“Luke just texted me, he said that a few of the street musicians were trying to have a small street concert or something like that tomorrow night at the park. He invited me to come and sing a few songs, and I figured since I still have a few days off, I’ll drop by. What do you think? Do you want to come?”

 

“Oh my god! Yes!” Chloe exclaimed, “I love it when you sing on the street.”

 

Beca laughed, “Well, in that case, any special requests? Any songs you specifically want to hear?”

 

Chloe thought about it for a while before shaking her head, “Nope, I love all of your songs so I can’t really pick.” She finished with a wide grin, excitement flickering in her eyes _._

 

Beca chuckled lightly and felt her heart flutter inside her chest uncontrollably. Her number one fan was still there after all these years apparently.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca was standing in the small crowd at the park with Chloe and listening to other street musicians play their songs, a small smile on her face. She had to admit that she kind of missed singing here. She liked singing at the bar and all, but it was different being out in the open, with people around her who were genuinely interested and would stop in their tracks to listen to her songs. And this time, she would find a pair of familiar cerulean eyes in that small crowd, already waiting to meet her stormy blues, and it was starting to make her feel a little giddy with excitement.

 

She was still contemplating which songs to sing, when Luke’s voice brought her out of her reverie.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, now let’s welcome my good friend, Beca Mitchell to sing a few of her songs.”

 

Chloe immediately let out a few high-pitched squeals, bouncing on the balls of her feet while clapping loudly, which earned a few strange glances from the people around them.

 

Beca laughed. She bent down to grab her guitar and looked over at the excited redhead, seeing that her baby blue eyes were glinting with anticipation and enthusiasm. And in that fleeting moment, Beca suddenly decided to play that new song she had just finished writing.

 

Technically, this song still needed some final touches, but Beca felt there wouldn’t be another perfect moment like now to play this song for Chloe. It was written for the redhead of course. A lot of songs that Beca wrote lately was about the redhead that was back in her life. And this song, she hoped this song could play a significant role in their relationship and give it a needed push; she hoped this song could convey all her unspoken words, and she knew Chloe would get them loud and clear like she always did.

 

So Beca leaned in and whispered in Chloe’s ear, “Listen to the lyrics Chlo.” And with that, she quickly pulled back and walked over to stand in front of the crowd, preparing to play her song.

 

Chloe blinked. She watched Beca tune her guitar a little, and her heart was suddenly pounding against her chest as if it was hammering its way out. Why would Beca want her to listen to the lyrics? Which song was the brunette going to play?

 

Beca finished tuning her guitar and looked up at the small crowd, “Well, the first song I want to sing is a new one that I’ve just finished writing. It was written for my crazy fan standing right there.” She grinned at Chloe and winked, making the redhead blush a little. And a few people from the crowd chuckled lightly.

 

“The song is called _Mystery_.” Beca said softly, locking eyes with Chloe and starting to strum her guitar.

 

Hearing the melody, Chloe immediately perked up. It was different from Beca’s old songs. She wondered if this was the song that Beca was talking about during their rooftop date the other day. And there was something else in there, something… enchanting and peaceful, like it was trying to convey something, telling some inenarrable sentiment. The melody was soft and soothing, yet it captivated the redhead’s entire being before she even knew it.

 

And then, Beca opened her mouth, starting to hum along and softly sing the words.

 

 

_When you look at me, I see you contemplating_

_Whether I'm gonna break your heart_

_I'm twenty-six, I'm pretty sure I'll love you when I'm eighty_

_But who wants to see that far?_

Chloe wasn’t even aware that she was holding her breath. She listened intently to every word Beca hummed out, watching Beca wink at her when she sang; watching the brunette lightly tap her left foot on the ground. And she giggled when she heard Beca sing out the words that said she would love her when she was eighty, feeling tingles travel through her whole body.

 

 

_What happens to you? What happens to me?_

_Who knows which way the wind will blow_

_Baby, it's a mystery_

_I don't know cause I can't see_

_There's no point even talking about_

_It's a mystery_

_But I can say without a doubt_

_I want you right now_

Realization suddenly hit Chloe. Beca was indeed trying to tell her something through this song. The brunette wanted her to know that she understood all her insecurities and fears, towards their relationship, towards their unknown future. And Chloe felt a little amazed, that Beca could read her and understand her this well even though she didn’t talk about those things with the brunette, not even a single word. Yet Beca just somehow knew what she was thinking, what she was feeling and what she was fearing. And this fact no longer terrified her. Instead, it made her heart beat more steadily and more surely in her chest, knowing there was someone out there that would understand the meaning behind her every frown and notice every subtle sign of her emotions; someone that could decipher every expression in her eyes without even having to say a single word.

 

_It don't matter how much you try to scheme and plan_

_Too many things, my love, that are out of our hands_

_What happens to you? What happens to me?_

_Who knows which way the wind will blow_

_Baby, it's a mystery_

_I don't know cause I can't see_

_There's no point even talking about_

_It's a mystery_

_But I can say without a doubt_

_I want you right now_

 

Chloe let out a small breath as tears welled in her eyes. At that very moment, her fears, worries and insecurities all crumbled to dust beneath her feet. They no longer lingered in her mind, constantly tugging at her heart and she finally stepped out from the shadow of the past. She finally realized that she needed to live in the present. Not the past, not the future, but right now. The future would still be uncertain and unpredictable yes, but that was okay. Because she wasn’t alone anymore, she had Beca by her side. So instead of wasting time worrying about the unknown, she just needed to take a leap of faith, and she knew Beca would be there, waiting for her with a big smile and taking her hand while never letting it go.

 

And with every note, every word in this song, she felt like Beca was slowly picking up the pieces of her broken heart and putting them back together again. She suddenly wanted to laugh because people always said that it was impossible to mend a shattered heart to the way it used to be, that it would always stay somewhat broken. But she knew that was not true now, because Beca was doing it, she was mending her heart, piece by piece, until Chloe felt like she was finally truly alive again, and her heart was beating stronger than ever in her chest, ready to love, and to be loved again.

 

_I want you right now_

 

 

The song ended. Chloe looked up at the grinning brunette, her own lips lifting upwards into a dazzling smile as well.

 

Her heart was ready.

 

She was ready.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Mystery by Tom Odell.


	23. Chapter 23

 

After finishing five of her songs, Beca walked back to stand beside the suddenly very exhilarated redhead. She looked at Chloe, amused, “What’s got you all happy and excited? Did you like my songs?” She added a little nervously.

 

Chloe’s smile grew even wider, if that was even possible. She turned to gaze at Beca intently for a few seconds, before suddenly taking the brunette’s hand and dragging her away from the park.

 

Beca laughed, “Where are you taking me? And don’t you want to stay a little bit longer to listen to other artists sing?”

 

Chloe looked back at her, grinning, “Nope, I have more important things to do!”

 

“Like what?” Beca asked while chuckling. The redhead sure did have the spontaneity of a child, but she loved it. She just loved everything about Chloe. Every spontaneous act the redhead did would give Beca a tingly sensation, making her look forward to every second that she got to spend with Chloe. Because she never knew what to expect, or what to prepare, but she didn’t really care. She didn’t care if those acts would sometimes mess up her own routine or make her step out of her comfort zone. If it was with someone else, those kinds of things would probably bother her or make her uncomfortable. But with Chloe, they were all liberating.

 

 

_“Chloe! Where are you going?! I thought we were going to the diner?!” Beca turned around in the passenger seat and watched the diner that they usually went for their dates becoming smaller and smaller as the redhead just drove straight past it without even slowing down._

_“I don’t know actually, I just suddenly don’t want to go there anymore.” Chloe giggled, seeing Beca’s wide eyes._

_“So you are telling me you just want our fifth date to be spent in your car, driving?” Beca asked, and she didn’t even know if she should be amused or upset._

_“Aww, Becs, I didn’t know you were counting our dates.” Chloe teased the brunette sitting beside her, and felt warmth spread through her whole body. Because Beca Mitchell was not all cold and indifferent like they all warned the redhead that she would be. No, actually, Beca Mitchell was quite the opposite. She was sweet, caring, funny and so talented. She just didn’t let many people see this side of her and Chloe was a little giddy that she was one of the few people who got to see the real Beca Mitchell, and she just couldn’t help but fall for the brunette, fiercely and recklessly._

_“What? I’m not counting, I just guessed.” Beca tried to act casual._

_“Okay, if you say so.” Chloe giggled again, rolling down her car window, “It’s a nice night, I just thought we should drive for a bit, and who knows, we may find some fun places on the way!”_

_The early spring breeze in Atlanta was still a bit chilly, but mostly quite comforting and pleasant. The gentle wind blew into the car through the open window, messing up their hair and Beca was suddenly mesmerized, watching Chloe’s lips curl into a content smile, her red locks dancing and flying in the wind. Weirdly, she started to realize that even if they just spend the entire evening driving around, she would still enjoy herself. All she cared about was to spend time with the redhead, it really didn’t matter where._

_“Oh my god! Becs! Look!”_

_Beca’s thoughts were interrupted by the redhead’s excited voice. She looked up, and saw that Chloe was parking her car at somewhat of a viewing deck. Wait… how did they get this high?! And where were they?!_

_“Chloe?! Where on earth did you drive us to?!” Beca looked around, noticing they were halfway up a small hill. “Okay, how come I didn’t even notice you were driving us up the hill?!”_

_Chloe laughed, “Someone was deep in thought, but it actually worked in my favour, otherwise you would have stopped me.”_

_“You are right I would have, because it’s dangerous! What if a bear suddenly comes out of the woods?!”_

_“Don’t be dramatic Beca. Come on, let’s get off the car! I promise you won’t be disappointed!” Chloe exclaimed excitedly, leaning in to place a quick kiss on Beca’s cheek, before unbuckling her seatbelt and jumping out of the car._

_Beca sighed slightly, but she followed suit and got off the car as well, walking over to where Chloe was standing near the edge of the hill._

_“Okay, why are we standing here—” Beca didn’t need to finish this sentence to know the answer, because from this spot, she could see the entire city beneath them, and it was alive with thousands of lights at this hour. She blinked, and let her mouth fall slightly open, completely amazed by the view laid out in front of her._

_“Told you, you wouldn’t be disappointed.”_

_Beca turned to look at the beaming redhead, feeling her heart skip a beat all of a sudden. The smile on Chloe’s face was so bright that even the countless city lights beneath them failed to dim it. She watched Chloe turn her head around to appreciate the breathtaking view contently, and unconsciously, her own lips curled upwards as well._

_“Will you be my girlfriend?” Beca asked abruptly, causing the redhead to whip her head back around to look at her._

_Beca didn’t repeat her question, she knew the redhead heard it. So she just grinned at her, eyes sparkling._

_“Yes.” Chloe smiled back at Beca, a little shyly._

_Beca was secretly over the moon, and she suddenly had a strong urge to kiss the redhead. She bit down on her lip, then an idea occurred to her. Deciding to act on that idea, she smirked, raising a hand to tap her left cheek with her forefinger, “Well then, come here and kiss your girlfriend on the cheek?”_

_Chloe giggled, and without suspecting a thing, she leaned forward, but just as her lips were about to touch Beca’s left cheek, the brunette suddenly turned her head to capture her lips with her own, giving the redhead a gentle peck._

_The redhead let out a small yelp in surprise. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, “Did you just…” She blinked and dropped her hand, trying very hard to calm her pounding heart._

_“Oh yes, I did.” The brunette grinned widely, “I’m very sneaky—” She didn’t even get to finish before she felt Chloe’s soft lips on hers again._

_Beca settled her hands on her girlfriend’s hips and pulled her closer, feeling the redhead’s mouth stretch wider against hers, and she also had to fight very hard between grinning and kissing. Secretly, even though she didn’t want to admit it, this spot on the hill was already her favourite place in the world, because she got to kiss her girlfriend for the first time here._

 

“Well, you haven’t answered my question yet Beale! More important things like what? And where are we going?” Beca was a bit out of breath from all the running. She seriously needed to exercise more from now on if the redhead continued to drag her around like this.

 

Chloe glanced back, chuckling lightly at the panting brunette before slowing down a little, “There are so many more important things to do right now. Like holding your hand,” She lifted up their intertwined hands a little and stopped in the middle of the road, leaning forward towards Beca, “And kissing you.” She whispered, before connecting their lips in a long and slow kiss.

 

Beca hummed in approval. She brought up a hand to rest on the back of Chloe’s head, lightly pulling the redhead closer and deepening the kiss, her fingers tangling in red locks. There was something different about this kiss. Beca felt like there was a new level of intimacy, that was full of trust, passion and love. She could taste so many emotions on the redhead’s lips. They intoxicated her and slowly led her into a warm haze of euphoric bliss. And Beca started to wish this kiss could never end. She wished that time could just stop right at this very second, so she would never need to pull back.

 

Unfortunately, they still had to break apart for some much-needed oxygen eventually. Chloe rested her forehead against the brunette’s for a brief moment, whispering with her eyes closed,

 

“Let’s go back to my apartment.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca waited at the side with a palpitating heart while Chole was unlocking her apartment door. She didn’t know what to expect or what to think. After that kiss on the street earlier, she could feel some subtle changes about the redhead, yet she just couldn’t quite place them. She hoped they were all good changes, but she figured she would probably need to talk to Chloe about this later.

 

Still deep in thought, she followed Chloe into her apartment. However, she was barely in the apartment for two seconds before she felt herself being pushed against the door by Chloe, gentle yet firm, their lips immediately locked in a fervent and eager kiss. Taken by surprise, Beca lost her grip on the guitar case and it fell onto the floor beside their feet with a thud. But she could hardly care about that, not that she had enough brain function to think clearly anyway. Because all she could feel was Chloe’s body pressing against hers, their breaths mingling. The redhead cupped her cheeks and slanted her head further, deepening the kiss. And in this moment, even with her eyes closed, Beca could still see light exploding, sparks flying in every direction. She breathed in sharply when she felt Chloe’s hand slide off her cheek and begin to slowly stroke up along her side underneath her shirt, and it was driving her crazy because every inch of her skin under Chloe’s soft touch was instantly on fire, sending her into a heady trance.

 

Beca could sense where this was going and she wanted to make sure that this was indeed what the redhead wanted, so she gathered what was left of her brain function and finally regain the ability to speak.

 

“Wait...” It almost took everything in the brunette to pull back from the kiss. “Are you sure?” She searched Chloe’s eyes, panting a little.

 

“I’m sure. No more waiting. I’m ready, Beca. My heart is ready.”

 

Beca was at a loss for words, hypnotized all of a sudden. She gazed at the redhead in front of her, watching the corners of her mouth lift into a melting yet firm smile, her cheeks a little rosy and her baby blues darker than usual.

 

“I just need you to promise me one thing.” Chloe spoke again softly, looking deep into Beca’s stormy blue eyes, “Let me in your heart, don't ever keep me out or push me away, because I don't know if I can handle that ever again. And whatever happens, we don’t hide things from each other, we don’t assume what’s best for each other. We talk everything out, we work things out together, that’s us, we take care of each other, okay? Can you promise me that’ll always be us?”

 

Beca smiled, eyes glistening with tears, “I promise. I’ve lost you once, I won’t make the same mistake again.” She took Chloe’s hand and put it over her heart, “You’ll always be in here. You have my heart, you have all of me. And I couldn’t keep you out even if I want to. It’s too late, because it’s already wide open to you. Sure, we’ll argue, we’ll fight, we’ll get upset with each other because no life is perfect, but it’s okay, because we’ll figure this out together, we are in this together. That’ll always be us, I promise.”

 

A few tears escaped from Chloe’s eyes. She sniffled lightly but let her smile widen into a brilliant grin.

 

“I love you.” Beca whispered slowly, smiling back at the redhead while reaching out a hand to brush those tears away from Chloe’s cheeks.

 

“I love you too.” Chloe teared up again because this time when she said those words, she didn’t feel any insecurities or doubts creeping in the back of her mind. They were really all gone, and all she could feel was love, need and passion towards Beca.

 

“I love you too.” So she said again, grinning wildly, “I love you so much.” And then, she didn’t waste another second to crash their lips together again, pinning the brunette against her apartment door, kissing her with everything she had.

 

The kiss immediately intensified, hands roaming everywhere. After a few minutes, Chloe reluctantly pulled her lips away from the brunette’s, and started to trail light kisses along Beca’s jawline, to her ear.

 

“I want you, right now. Let’s go to bed.” She whispered into Beca’s ear, and before Beca could answer, she lifted the brunette up, quickly connecting their lips again and starting to carry her toward the bedroom without breaking the kiss even for a second.

 

And maybe because of the urgency, Chloe walked a little too fast, so when she released her grip on Beca and let her fall on the mattress with a soft bounce, the brunette let out an embarrassing high-pitched squeak since she did not expect that they would reach the redhead’s bed so soon.

 

“What was that?” Chloe giggled, locking eyes with the extremely flustered brunette, hovering over her.

 

“Shut up and kiss me.” Beca rolled her eyes slightly, pulling Chloe down and capturing the redhead’s lips with her own again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe fluttered her eyes open, seeing the sunlight was already peeking through the curtains. She stretched a little, and instantly smiled at last night's memory.

 

She looked over beside her and saw that Beca was lying on her stomach, facing her and still sound asleep. Her hair was splayed all over the pillow and her long eyelashes would tremble in the slightest way as she breathed.

 

The redhead's smile grew bigger. She brought a hand up to Beca's bare back and traced the tattoo on her shoulder softly. She couldn't believe Beca was lying beside her again, because that was something she wouldn't even let herself think about over the last few years. She noticed there were quite a few red scratch marks on the brunette's back and blushed. Feeling a little bad for the brunette, Chloe propped herself up on her elbow, starting to place light kisses on those marks and soon felt the brunette stirring and humming beneath her. She lay back and met those stormy blue orbs that she could get lost in for hours.

 

"Good morning." She smiled shyly at Beca.

 

"Good morning." Beca watched the redhead in amusement. Chloe usually wouldn't get all shy and blushed easily. But when she did, it was fun to watch. So she just continued to stare at the redhead, intently and adoringly.

 

Chloe buried her head further into the pillow under Beca's intense gaze, "Stop looking at me! You are making me blush!" She pouted but felt a thousand butterflies dashing around madly in her stomach because of the way Beca was looking at her.

 

"What? I like looking at you. And I don't know it's a crime to look at my girlfriend." Beca teased but suddenly stiffened, realizing what she had just said.

 

She didn't mean to say the word 'girlfriend'. She knew that they had talked a little about their relationship last night and it was already huge progress, but the word never came up. They would definitely need to talk about this later, but now it just slipped out! She mentally kicked herself and nervously bit down on her lip waiting for the redhead's reaction.

 

Chloe was clearly taken by surprise. She lifted her head a little at the word and looked at Beca with an unreadable face.

 

Beca waited for a few seconds, but seeing the redhead didn't seem to be speaking soon, she hurriedly rambled on,

 

"I... I’m sorry! I didn't mean... I mean I know we'll have to talk about it later, about what we are doing. But it just slipped out! I swear! And I—I'm not assuming anything or trying to pressure you into anything! I'm fine with waiting. I mean it! You have no idea just how grateful I am that you are even considering giving us a second chance. So until you are ready, I won't—"

 

She was cut off by a hand that the redhead put over her mouth.

 

"Beca, relax." Chloe giggled, "No need to bring the rambling Beca out, although I missed her terribly." She teased.

 

After seeing Beca visibly relax a little, she grew serious and looked deep into the brunette's eyes before softly speaking again.

 

"And I meant what I said last night too. I want you, Beca. I want to be with you, now. I'm done waiting. I'm ready. Because you were right, the future is a mystery so why waste time that I could be using to call you mine and kiss you any time I want?" She smiled, "So I guess that means I'm your girlfriend now, and no it's not a crime to look at your girlfriend. So look all you want, I won't judge."

 

Beca blinked, speechless. She couldn't believe her luck. She looked at Chloe's soft smile and searched her cerulean eyes for any doubts or hesitation, but found none other than sincerity and love.

 

Feeling tears start to emerge, Beca closed her eyes and kissed the tips of Chloe's fingers that were still resting over her lips before intertwining their hands.

 

"I love you." She whispered and leaned forward to kiss her girlfriend. Yes, girlfriend. She definitely loved the sound of that and felt a little giddy that she got to call the redhead hers again after all those lost years.

 

"I love you too." Chloe smiled into the kiss.

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

 

Beca walked out of Chloe’s bedroom in the morning with a yawn. Since they had officially re-established their relationship, she had been spending the nights at the redhead’s apartment. And now her sick leave was finally over, tonight she had to go back to work at the restaurant and the bar, which she was kind of glad about, because she was starting to get bored being stuck at home for so long, especially with Chloe gone at work during the day.

 

She wandered into the kitchen and found the redhead sitting at the kitchen island, flipping through a magazine while sipping her coffee. She smiled to herself and walked over to her girlfriend.

 

“Morning, beautiful.” She said and leaned in to place a kiss on the side of Chloe’s head.

 

The redhead turned to look at her, grinning widely, “Morning babe. Did you sleep well?”

 

Beca moved to sit down on the stool next to Chloe, “Yeah, I did. But I still wish you’d woken me up earlier. I want to spend more time with you in the morning since I’ll have to go back to work from tonight.”

 

Chloe beamed, “I know, but I want you to sleep in. You wouldn’t be able to get any sleep during the night for a while.”

 

Beca smiled, and went to kiss the redhead’s cheek one more time before she grabbed the bowl on the counter, starting to pour some cereal and milk into it.

 

Once she finished preparing herself a bowl of breakfast, she picked up a spoon with her left hand, and subconsciously her right hand went to grab Chloe’s left hand that was resting on the counter, lacing their fingers together.

 

Chloe turned to look at Beca, thinking the brunette wanted to say something, but instead, she found that Beca was just eating her bowl of cereal intently and wasn’t even looking at her. The redhead got a little confused. She blinked and stared at their intertwined hands for a moment, before looking back at her girlfriend. Then she suddenly remembered that this was Beca, not anybody else that she dated who would only hold her hands or hug her when they needed something from her or wanted to ask her for something. Her heart immediately flipped with exaltation, waking up the butterflies in her chest, and even the taste of coffee remained on the tip of her tongue didn’t feel bitter anymore. She bit her bottom lip and just couldn’t move her eyes away from her girlfriend, so she let herself continue to gaze at Beca adoringly and elatedly, watching the brunette eat like a cute hamster and feeling her inside melt at this simple yet sweet gesture.

 

Beca noticed that the redhead was beaming at her weirdly from the corner of her eye, so she turned her head a little and looked at Chloe, “What?” She said with a mouthful of cereal.

 

“Nothing.” Chloe answered, her smile stretching even wider.

 

“Then why are you staring at me when I’m eating?” Beca asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

 

“I love looking at you. You are like an adorable hamster when you eat.” Chloe teased.

 

Beca huffed, “First, I’m not adorable, and second, are you mocking my size again? I feel I should be offended.”

 

Chloe giggled and went to place a quick kiss on the brunette’s cheek, “Of course not, Becs. You are obviously larger than a hamster, I’d say you are at least a hedgehog… no wait, a meerkat. Yeah, you are totally a meerkat babe.”

 

“Hey careful, meerkats are vicious animals okay? If you piss them off they’ll bite your pretty face off.”

 

Chloe laughed, “Then you are totally a meerkat Becs, but you wouldn’t bite my face off, I’m your favourite.”

 

Beca rolled her eyes playfully and resumed eating her cereal, “Someone is full of herself.”

 

“Are you implying that I’m not your favourite person?” Chloe gasped and feigned offence.

 

“You might be, if you come to see me perform at the bar tonight.”

 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Chloe grinned.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beca walked into the bar that night and was immediately greeted by Fat Amy’s loud cheers, “Finally! Superstar! Although I hate to admit it, this bar just wasn’t the same without you, we were so bored every day!”

 

Beca smirked, “Good, now I hope you’ve finally realized how awesome I am so you can stop bullying me.”

 

Fat Amy gasped, “Excuse me? When did I ever bully you?! For your information I’m the nicest person in Tasmania, and…” She trailed off, noticing that there was something different about Beca.

 

Fat Amy narrowed her eyes and followed the brunette’s every movement, watching her hum softly when she walked over to the stage to put down her guitar and then bounced over to the bar to pick up a bottle of water. Yes, Beca Mitchell bounced. Then the blonde suddenly realized something, “WAIT A MINUTE! You totally got laid, didn’t you?!”

 

Beca nearly choked on the water that she was drinking. She coughed violently while quickly turning her head to glare at Amy, face flushing crimson. “Amy! Will you keep it down?! And how the hell did you know?!”

 

Fat Amy laughed and immediately got really excited, craning her neck to shout Jesse’s name frantically, “Jesse! Jesse Swanson, where are you?! Get over here! Jesse!”

 

“What? What happened?!” Jesse rushed out of his office, thinking there was some sort of emergency.

 

“Superstar here finally got laid,” Fat Amy winked at the blushing brunette, “Now where’s my 20 bucks, Swanson?”

 

“What?! Seriously Beca?” Jesse’s shoulders slumped. He then reluctantly pulled out a 20-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it over to the grinning blonde behind the counter.

 

Beca stared at her two friends in disbelief, but before she could launch into her ultimate scolding, Jesse suddenly exclaimed, “Wait, Beca! Did you talk to red? Is she your girlfriend now?”

 

Beca eyed him suspiciously, but still nodded, “Yeah, we talked. And she’s my girlfriend now—”

 

“YES! Give me back my 20, Amy! Told you they’d talk!” Jesse grinned smugly.

 

“Damn it!” Fat Amy muttered and handed the bill back.

 

Beca couldn’t believe it. _Seriously?! Why was she even friends with these two?!_

“I can’t believe you guys bet on us?! What kind of friends are you?!” Beca spluttered, glaring daggers at her two friends.

 

“Told you we were bored, superstar. But we are happy for you guys.” Fat Amy grinned and wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

 

Beca rolled her eyes, she was not done scolding those two yet. Just when she opened her mouth, she was slightly startled by a pair of arms wrapping around her waist from behind. However, she instantly relaxed recognizing the familiar touch and Chloe’s perfume.

 

“Hey, my girlfriend is here!” Beca immediately grinned, turning her head a little to look at the redhead.

 

Chloe giggled, placing a kiss on Beca’s cheek before resting her chin on the brunette’s shoulder, “Hey babe, what’s got you all grumpy and whiny?”

 

Beca huffed, “Those two horrible people over there bet on when we would have the talk and have sex.”

 

Chloe laughed and received a disapproving look from her girlfriend.

 

“Chlo! Why are you laughing?! You’ll just encourage them!” Beca warned.

 

“Right, sorry babe. Don’t worry, I’ll give them a lecture for you. Now you go up there and blow everyone’s mind with your amazing songs okay?” Chloe was still chuckling.

 

“Fine.” The brunette turned to glare at Jesse and Fat Amy one last time before placing a quick peck on Chloe’s lips, “Love you.”

 

“Love you too.” Chloe smiled and watched Beca walk off to go on the stage and pick up her guitar, preparing to play.

 

“So…” Fat Amy’s sly voice caught Chloe’s attention, so she turned to look at the blonde, “How does it feel being superstar’s girlfriend again? Must be pretty amazing huh?”

 

Chloe grinned and nodded, blushing lightly. _Yeah, being Beca Mitchell’s girlfriend was indeed pretty amazing._

* * *

 

 

A few weeks passed by, Beca and Chloe’s life quickly fell into a routine. They would take turns to spend time at each other’s apartment. Normally, Beca would be home at around 5am, and if Chloe was awake, they would have breakfast together before the brunette went to bed and Chloe went to work. If not, Beca would just go straight to bed and cuddle with her girlfriend for a while until Chloe had to leave. Then, Beca would try to get up at noon to go to the clinic and have lunch with the redhead. In the evening, Chloe would either drop by the restaurant or the bar or both to see Beca until she had to go back to the apartment to sleep at around midnight. Additionally, on the day that the restaurant was closed, they would finally get to have a date night and do something fun together.

 

The redhead seemed to be quite happy and content with the arrangement. However, for Beca, it was starting to drive her insane, because the time that she got to spend with her girlfriend was hardly enough. She didn’t want the redhead to fall asleep alone every night and only get to cuddle with her for only a few hours in the morning. She wanted to spend every evening with the redhead, asking about her work, cooking dinners with her, or even just cuddling on the couch doing nothing. She didn’t want Chloe to try to get up at 5am every morning so that she could talk to the brunette when she got home from the bar. And even though Beca had told Chloe countless times to just wake her up if she ever fell asleep during their morning cuddle sessions, the redhead would always let her sleep and leave for the clinic quietly. Sometimes, Chloe would try to leave work early and go home to see Beca before the brunette had to leave for the restaurant, but most of the time, Beca was already gone when the redhead got home.

 

Therefore, this whole working-at-night thing was not working quite well for Beca anymore, which was also why she had been browsing through some job searching and career websites lately.

 

And here she was again, sitting at the kitchen island in Chloe’s apartment one afternoon, absentmindedly reading some job descriptions on her laptop while hoping to get a chance to see Chloe before she had to leave for her gig at the restaurant.

 

To be honest, she wasn’t even sure what kind of job she was looking for. She had been focusing on her music career all her life and she didn’t have a backup plan. Currently, not many jobs related to music that she was able to find were quite different from what she was doing now. And as for the more stable ones like music teachers or instructors, she had no qualifications for them. As a result, she just didn’t have a single clue what else she could do or what she would at least like to do for the rest of her life. She knew her ‘big break’ would probably never happen as she was getting older and older. The only reason she still held on to her dream all these years was just because music was all she had left after she broke up with Chloe back then. It was just always there, acting as an escape, a shelter, a comfort, the string that she was hanging by, and sometimes even a friend to make her feel less alone. It helped her get through so many things in her life. So she figured there was no reason for her to give up her career in music.  

 

But now, now she had a reason.

 

Because Chloe was back in her life.

 

Because she was terrified that Chloe would eventually get tired of this kind of lifestyle that they had now. Even if she wouldn’t, the redhead still deserved so much better than this. She deserved someone who could kiss her good morning and then have breakfast with her every morning; someone who could text her back during the day instead of sleeping; someone who could plan a surprise date night whenever they felt like it; someone who could keep her warm and tuck her in when the redhead kicked her covers off during the night; someone who could make her feel that they had all the time in the world to grow old together, instead of trying to squeeze time to even see each other every day. And sadly, Beca knew she wasn’t that someone who could do any of those things at the moment.

 

They had already missed 8 years in each other’s lives, the last thing Beca wanted was to waste time. But right now, Beca felt like she was dragging Chloe to chase her futile dream. If it was just herself, she didn’t mind doing this for the rest of her life, but now she would always wonder if it was really worth it to keep trying. How could she be certain that she would succeed some day? How could she make sure that it wouldn’t cost her Chloe in the end? And that was the bottom line, she couldn’t lose Chloe, not again.

 

_Beca was quietly packing her last bag in her room back in Atlanta, while Stacie sat on her bed and watched her with worried eyes._

_“Are you sure you want to go to LA Beca?” Stacie finally broke the silence._

_Beca put the last item in her bag and looked up, “I’m sure Stacie. I need… I need a fresh start I guess.”_

_Stacie sighed, before running her hand through her hair, “I just don’t understand, why don’t you just call her and explain everything? It’s just a big misunderstanding, I’m sure Chloe will unders—”_

_“Stacie.” Beca cut her off, “Just drop it okay? I’ve made my decision and it’s for the best.”_

_“No it’s not for the best Beca! Don’t you see? You and Chloe are miserable without each other. I’m sure Chloe will hear you out if you just talk to her.”_

_Beca sighed, closing her eyes briefly, “I don’t think so Stacie. You didn’t listen to her voicemail. I heard it loud and clear. I know what she meant. I really hurt her pretty deep this time, and she has already decided to pull herself together and move on. If I show up now, it’ll just be like tearing her wound open again. Besides, I’m too ashamed to even show my face in front of her, let alone beg for her forgiveness. I don’t deserve her anymore. Look at me Stacie, my life is a mess now and I almost died from drinking too much recently. I need… I need to fix my life on my own first.”_

_“Okay, and then what, Beca? You are getting her back? And how long will that take? The longer you wait, the harder it will take for her to forgive you. You don’t need to be alone Beca, we can help you.”_

_Beca offered her best friend a small smile, shaking her head slightly, “Thanks Stacie, but this is actually something that I need to do by myself. I don’t know how long it will take and I don’t even hope that she’ll ever forgive me. If I’m lucky, then probably I’ll get to see her again someday, but if not, I guess I’ll just have to live with it. It’s my own fault after all.”_

_Stacie let out a frustrated sigh, knowing she couldn’t persuade the stubborn brunette anymore, “Fine. Then at least promise me you wouldn’t drink that much ever again when you get there, okay?”_

_“I won’t. I won’t drink anymore from now on, not even a single drop.”_

_“Beca… you have a problem, you can’t just suddenly stop as you like—”_

_“I can.” Beca cut Stacie off and looked into her eyes firmly, “For her, I can.”_

_Stacie looked at her best friend sadly, “If you are doing this for her, why wouldn’t you just fight for her Beca? Sure, she was upset and probably said some hurtful words in those voicemails, but you—”_

_“Stacie,” Beca raised her voice slightly, her hands clenched into shaking fists, “I don’t have the right to fight for her anymore. She deserves to be with someone perfect, not a failure like me. You need to promise me that you wouldn’t call her and tell her anything about my alcohol poisoning. Can you promise me that?”_

_When Stacie didn’t answer, Beca asked again, voice trembling, “Promise me, Stacie!”_

_Stacie looked up at her best friend’s desperate eyes and didn’t have the heart to refuse, “Fine Beca. Fine I won’t tell her anything.” She paused for a second, before adding, “For the record, I don’t think you are a failure Beca. You just strayed, everybody strays, big deal? You’ll get yourself together, I know you will.”_

_Beca nodded and smiled slightly at her best friend, “Thanks Stace, I’ll miss you when I’m over there.”_

_“I’ll miss you too Becs, keep in touch okay?” Stacie said, standing up, “Come on, I’ll drive you to the airport, it’s time.”_

_Beca picked up her bags, and took a last look around, before stepping out of her room._

Still deep in thought, Beca didn’t notice Chloe open the door and walk in. The redhead came home early from work and was happy to see that Beca hadn’t left yet. She put down her bag and walked over to the kitchen with a grin. But when she saw Beca sitting in front of her laptop with slightly red-rimmed eyes, she instantly got worried,

 

“Becs? Are you okay? What are you looking at?”

 

Beca was startled by her girlfriend’s voice. She looked up at Chloe in surprise and quickly closed her laptop, putting on a smile, “Hey, you are home early.”

 

Chloe nodded, “Yeah, there wasn’t much to do today at the clinic, Emily and Cynthia Rose could handle it so I left early.” She walked to Beca cautiously and asked again, “Are you okay babe? You didn’t hear me coming in?”

 

Beca leaned in to press a kiss to Chloe’s cheek, trying to act normal, “Yeah, you know, just thinking. Don’t worry.”

 

Chloe wasn’t convinced, she turned her head to eye the laptop sitting on the kitchen island, “Okay… about what?”

 

Beca jumped off the stool and picked up her laptop, starting to walk back to the couch, “You know, just… stuff.”

 

Well, now Chloe knew for sure. That definitely meant something was wrong. So she followed the brunette to the living room and sat down on the couch next to her.

 

“Beca,” She started, “We talk everything out, remember? Now what’s wrong?”

 

Beca turned to look at her girlfriend hesitantly, before giving in, “Yeah, we talk everything out…” She took a deep breath, “I’ve been looking at some job searching websites lately… I’m trying to find a new job I guess.”

 

“Okay.” Chloe was a little confused, “What kind of new job?”

 

Beca laughed at herself, “To be honest, I don’t even know either.” She looked down, “I want to find a more stable job, you know? So I wouldn’t have to work at night and we wouldn’t need to squeeze time out of our schedules to see each other. And I’ve been thinking… maybe I shouldn’t be pursuing my career in music anymore, but I don’t know what else I could do either so—”

 

“Wait,” Chloe wanted to make sure she heard it right, “What do you mean you’ve been thinking you shouldn’t be pursuing your music career? Why would you give up music Beca?”

 

“Not giving up entirely, just… career wise. I mean, obviously it’ll still be a hobby, but I just don’t think I’m cut out for this industry anymore.”

 

“Beca…” Chloe was shocked beyond belief, “But it’s your dream. You can’t just give up your dream after so long!”

 

“Exactly, it’s been my dream for so long that I don’t even know what else I could do…” Beca sighed, running a hand through her hair, “Besides music, all I have is you. And I don’t want to lose you again. I don’t want you to live like this, waking up early every day so you could see me and going to bed alone every night… You deserve better, and I’d give up my dream for you in a heartbeat.”

 

Chloe blinked back the tears that suddenly welled up in her eyes. She immediately reached out to take Beca’s hand, linking their fingers together tightly, “Listen to me, Beca, I don’t want you to give up your dream for me. It’s your dream, so it’s my dream too. We take care of each other, I don’t want you to be unhappy.”

 

“I’m happy when I have you.” Beca insisted, looking into Chloe’s cerulean eyes.

 

“I know.” The redhead smiled, squeezing Beca’s hand, “But I also know you’ll be happier if you are doing what you love. So please don’t give up, okay? I’m happy with my life now, I don’t mind really.”

 

“If it’s just me, I don’t mind living like this either. But now… now I have you back, I… I want to have date nights with you, not only just one day a week when the restaurant is closed. I want to fall asleep with you by my side every night and I want to have breakfast with you every morning, then leave for work together…” Beca trailed off and sighed, looking down at their intertwined hands.

 

“Beca.” Chloe called softly.

 

When the brunette didn’t look up at her, she reached out her other hand to cup the brunette’s cheek and stroked her cheekbone with her thumb lightly, “Baby look at me.”

 

Beca took a deep breath and finally raised her head to look into her girlfriend’s soft eyes.

 

“You’ll get to do all those things very soon. Right now what you do is just temporary, so just hang on a little longer okay?”

 

“How can you be so sure? It hasn’t happened for 8 years, I don’t think—”

 

“I just know Beca.” Chloe cut her off, looking deep into those stormy blue orbs, “I know baby. I know for sure, you’ll have your big break. You just have to be a little bit more patient.”

 

Beca sighed, “When you believe in me this much… it terrifies me. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

 

“Never, Beca. You’ll never disappoint me by doing what you love and holding on to your dream. It’s one of the many reasons that I love you.” Chloe said softly, “And it doesn’t matter how much I believe in you, if you don’t believe in yourself, there’s no use. So will you believe in yourself a little more, for me? Hang on a little longer, don’t give up, okay?”

 

Beca let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, letting a few tears escape from the corners of her eyes, “Okay.” She said, and then leaned in to bury her face into the crook of her girlfriend’s neck, hugging her tight.

 

“I love you.” She whispered slowly into Chloe’s hair, feeling the redhead’s arms wrap around her protectively.

 

“I love you too.” Chloe smiled, “Now let’s go to bed and cuddle for a while before you have to leave, I missed you all day at work.”

 

Beca chuckled lightly and pulled back, quickly wiping away the tears on her cheeks, “Yeah, let’s go cuddle, I missed you all day too.”

 

After they were settled in bed, Chloe rested her head on Beca’s chest and absentmindedly played with Beca’s fingers, while listening to the brunette’s heartbeats contently.

 

“Hey babe,” The redhead suddenly spoke, “Have you tried playing your music on the street during the day? It may attract more people you know.”

 

“Hmm… maybe.” Beca hummed, gently combing her fingers through her girlfriend’s red locks.

 

“Well I think you should try it some time. I love it when you play on the street, you look really…” Chloe trailed off and mumbled something inaudibly, suddenly blushing a little.

 

“What? What did you say? I look really what?” Beca didn’t catch what Chloe was saying at the end.

 

“You look really hot when you play your guitar out there and it turns me on, okay?!” Chloe repeated with flushed cheeks.

 

Beca laughed, and suddenly remembered something, “Wait, is that why you basically jumped me after Luke’s street concert the other day?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Oh my god, it totally is, isn’t it?” Beca teased the redhead, pulling back a little.

 

“No it’s not! Stop saying that!”

 

“Make me.” Beca challenged, grinning.

 

“I see what you are doing Beca, you’ll have to try harder to trick me into kissing you.” Chloe smirked.

 

“Fine, then how about this?” And before the redhead even blinked, Beca moved and was straddling her hips, placing her hands against the bed on either side of Chloe’s head while leaning down inch by inch in a torturous slow pace with that cocky lopsided smile on her face, which was driving Chloe crazy.

 

Chloe swallowed, and eventually couldn’t take it anymore. She reached up and pulled Beca down, immediately locking their lips, “Stop teasing already! You are lucky that I love you.”

 

“I really am.” Beca smiled against her girlfriend’s lips and melted into the kiss. 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

* * *

Chloe woke up in the middle of the night in Beca’s bed and shivered a little. She lazily reached out for Beca beside her and wanted to cuddle for warmth, but was met with an empty space instead. The redhead frowned and opened her eyes to check the time. It was nearly 1am. Beca had previously asked Jesse for a night off so she and Chloe could finally have a long-overdue date and then cuddle to sleep for the whole night. Chloe pouted slightly, wondering where her girlfriend and personal heater snuck off to at this late hour.

 

She sat up a little in bed and noticed that there was a dim light in the living room. She listened carefully for a moment and caught an intermittent sound of the guitar, so soft that she almost missed it. So, she slowly got off the bed, and went to Beca’s closet to pull out an oversized sweater along with a pair of shorts, putting them on quickly before walking out of the bedroom.

 

“Becs?” She called in a slightly hoarse voice, rubbing her eyes a little.

 

But Beca didn’t seem to hear her, she was sitting on the couch with her guitar and was writing something on the coffee table, completely lost in her own world. Chloe took a few more steps and went to lean against the wall a few feet away from the side of the couch, gazing at her girlfriend quietly.

 

The brunette was wearing a large hoodie with sports shorts, her hair tied up into a messy bun. In front of her on the coffee table, several pieces of sheet music were laid out neatly. Some were blank, others were already filled with Beca’s beautiful cursive handwriting. Her guitar pick was caught between her teeth while she was hunched over that small table and was scribing rapidly with a pencil. After a few seconds, she dropped the pencil and went to retrieve her guitar pick from her mouth, before resuming her soft strumming. And her head would sway lightly along with the rhythm from time to time, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

 

Chloe smiled at the sight. Even in the dim illumination of the table lamp in the living room, she could still see the ceaseless creativity and excitement radiating from Beca, along with that special dazzling glow of a dream chaser. Immersed in the gentle sound of the guitar, Chloe closed her eyes briefly. But instead of seeing boundless darkness, she was greeted with flashes of exploding fireworks in a riot of colours.

 

Interestingly, she felt like her life during the past eight years had always been in a monotone greyish colour. Sometimes there would be swirls of chromatic elements emerging in certain moments, like when she had finally graduated from vet school, when she landed her first internship, when she treated an adorable animal, when she was spending time with Aubrey or her family, or even sometimes with Chicago. But those swirls of vividness never lasted. They were all ephemeral, twirling in her world for a fleeting moment, then they were just… gone. And her life was back to that dull grey again. However, now, now her world was bursting with cascades of vibrant colours and sparkles, all because of Beca.

             

Different from those monotonous 8 years, right now, millions of shades were dancing around her world, spinning and colliding with each other, creating something so beautiful that it almost overwhelmed her. And with every smile, every touch, and every unpredictable kiss from the brunette, new technicolour hues that she couldn’t even put names to would appear and run around on the already insanely colourful canvas of her life, trying to find a small space to leave a mark. Actually, even now, everything about Beca would still make her wonder in amazement that how anyone could be this effortlessly beautiful, crazily loving and just so extraordinarily talented. Moreover, what made her even giddier was the fact that she was lucky enough to call this person her girlfriend.

 

Chloe open her eyes, feeling her heart overflowing with fondness. She continued to watch Beca writing this new song for a while, before finally pushing herself off of the wall and walking over towards her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around the brunette’s neck from behind and pressed a light kiss to Beca’s left cheek.

 

“Hey.” She said softly and rested her chin on Beca’s shoulder, looking at all those magical music notes on the sheet music in front of them.

 

Beca smiled, turning her head a little, “Hey, sorry babe, did I wake you?”

 

Chloe shook her head, “No, I just got cold.” She let go of Beca and went to sit beside her on the couch, “New song?”

 

Beca grinned, a little apologetically, “Yeah… I know today we finally get to cuddle for the whole night, but I just had this inspiration and it was keeping me up so…”

 

Chloe chuckled, “That’s okay Becs, I’ll just stay here with you and then when you are done, we can go back to bed together and continue our cuddling session.”

 

“What? Chlo you don’t have to stay—”

 

Chloe cut the brunette off and pouted, “Uh-uh, I’m not negotiating, I’d rather stay here with you than sleep alone in the bed.”

 

“Fine…” Beca shook her head, laughing lightly, “I guess I’ll have to get used to this bossy side of you from now on, huh?”  

 

Chloe reached out and smacked the brunette’s arm playfully, “Hey, go back to your song-writing already!”

 

Beca laughed again before picking up the pencil on the table obediently and resuming her previous work. In the meantime, the redhead happily moved to the other side of the couch and rested her head on the armrest, curling on her side and just gazing at her girlfriend’s profile contently.

 

After a while, Beca finally finished the first verse. She stretched a little and noticed that the redhead beside her was already fast asleep, a tiny smile still on her face. Chuckling lightly, Beca put down her guitar as quietly as possible and stood up to grab a blanket before covering her girlfriend carefully. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the sleeping redhead’s forehead, “Sweet dreams baby. I love you.”

 

She gazed at the beautiful redhead for a lingering moment, before going back and picking up her guitar again, smiling when she felt an inexplicable strength slowly rising from the pit of her stomach, while even more inspiration and ideas streaming through her mind incessantly like an endless river.

 

For so many years, she was usually walking alone on this journey towards her dream. Sure, there were a few people that came along every now and then, but at the end of the day, she knew she was on her own after all. And that was okay, because she had never expected them to stay in the first place anyway; because at some point, she had already gotten used to being alone. She had already gotten used to waking up alone on the couch with a stiff neck after spending the whole night writing a new song. She had already gotten used to playing the guitar to herself over and over again trying to decide if the song still needed more touch-ups. And she had already learnt to ignore the empty and worn-out feeling that would suddenly creep up on her, in the quietest nights.

 

But it appeared that she didn’t have to deal with those things ever again. Because from now on, she knew she was no longer all by herself.

 

Not anymore.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe was eating her lunch in her office when she felt her phone vibrate inside her jean pocket. She fished it out and found a text message from her girlfriend.

 

**Hey beautiful! Did you finish your lunch? Come out of the clinic, turn right, walk about 100m and then turn left, you might find someone interesting there! ;) – B**

Chloe giggled, immediately standing up and grabbing her coat and bag before walking out to follow Beca’s instructions. She made a mental note on the way to convince the brunette to stop coming to see her during lunchtime and get some much-needed sleep instead, although she loved these small yet sweet surprises so much.

 

Wondering what the brunette was trying to pull off this time, she quickly reached the spot according to Beca’s text, but the second she spotted her girlfriend, her heart immediately started racing inside her chest uncontrollably.

 

Because Beca was leaning against the brick wall of a building at the end of the sidewalk, with her guitar in her hand. She was wearing a black leather jacket and looking a little bored. _Okay, Beca’s never visited her during lunchtime with her guitar… so what’s happening now?_ The redhead didn’t know what to think, so with her heartbeats echoing in her ears, she quickly walked over to her girlfriend. And as always, the brunette’s stormy-blue eyes lit up entirely when she spotted Chloe, which was not helping to calm the redhead’s pounding heart.

 

“Hey babe.” The brunette grinned, before giving Chloe a light peck on the lips.

 

“Hey, what’s… all this?” Chloe gestured to the guitar.

 

Beca smirked, while stepping back a few feet away from the redhead and positioning her guitar in place, “Well, you are getting a private street concert today, Doctor Beale.”

 

Chloe giggled, “Why do you suddenly want to play out here?”

 

“Well you mentioned the other day that I should try playing during the day, but I don’t really want to go play alone at some random place, so…” Beca shrugged.

 

“You remember?” Chloe smiled.

 

“Of course! I just have one thing to ask you before I start.”

 

“Sure, what is it?”

 

Beca cleared her throat a little, a crooked grin on her face, “Please don’t jump me right here okay? At least wait till we are somewhere inside.”

 

Chloe gasped while her face crimsoned, “Oh my god!” She glared at her giggling girlfriend and spluttered, “You are never going to let this go, are you? Why did I even tell you that in the first place?!”

 

Beca laughed, “You are right babe, I’m never letting this go. Now, enjoy your private concert and try to restrain yourself.”

 

“Are you going to start or not?! Stop teasing me!”

 

“Okay, okay. Here we go.” Beca immediately started strumming her guitar, laughing while winking playfully at her flustered girlfriend.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe listened to the brunette sing for her with a huge grin on her face and okay, maybe Beca was right, she was indeed having a hard time restraining herself. She had already gotten so used to Beca singing in the bar that she almost forgot how insanely hot the brunette was when she played the guitar on the street. She bit her lower lip and watched Beca intently, completely unaware of the small crowd that was starting to form around her. 

 

Beca finished the third song and decided to do a little introduction for the next song that she was going to play, since she saw the small crowd in front of her seemed to be quite interested.

 

“Hey guys, umm the next song is a new one I just wrote a few days ago in the middle of the night, inspired by my amazing girlfriend.” She winked at the redhead and resumed strumming her guitar softly.

 

 

_I'm gonna pick up the pieces_

_And build a Lego house_

_If things go wrong we can knock it down_

_My three words have two meanings_

_There's one thing on my mind_

_It's all for you_

_And it's dark in a cold December_

_But I've got you to keep me warm_

_And if you're broken I'll mend you_

_And keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now_

Hearing the familiar melody, Chloe immediately recalled that night when she stayed with Beca on the couch but ended up falling asleep while the brunette was writing this song. However, she never expected that it would be inspired by her. And the way Beca revealed this information was so casual like it was never a big deal. But it was. It was a big deal to her. She knew the brunette had written several songs for her, or about her by now, yet she was still having trouble wrapping her head around this fact. Every time she learnt that she was the inspiration behind a new song, she would still feel a tingle of excitement, starting from the tips of her fingers and passing through her entire body like a never-fading warm ocean wave.

_I'm out of touch, I'm out of love_

_I'll pick you up when you're getting down_

_And out of all these things I've done_

_I think I love you better now_

_I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind_

_I'll do it all for you in time_

_And out of all these things I've done_

_I think I love you better now_

Feeling a little dizzy with exaltation, Chloe looked back into those intense steel-blue eyes. _“I love you.”_ She mouthed the words to Beca, watching the brunette’s mouth stretch into an impossibly-wide grin and trying to savour the pure rapture that fizzled in her heart.

 

Gradually, more people started to gather around the brunette musician, drawn by this incredibly beautiful song and Chloe had finally registered the fact that she was standing among a small crowd now. She chuckled to herself, feeling proud of her girlfriend and also a little amazed that how music could make a group of strangers stop in their tracks, and just gather together to spend a few minutes in their lives getting lost in the melodies, to feel the emotions behind those beautiful notes.

 

Several people came and went beside her, but she hardly even noticed. Her eyes were locked on the brunette the whole time, letting Beca’s music flow through her veins, swirl in her heart and touch her soul. The brunette would close her eyes every time she was trying to reach a high note, and then re-open those electrifying blue eyes to wink at the redhead, while effortlessly strumming that guitar of hers and working wonders with it.

 

After a while, the old lady standing next to Chloe left, and a man who was behind them quickly stepped up to take the lady’s place while watching Beca closely with fascinated sharp brown eyes. He was tall and rather thin, with a handsome facial structure, a well-groomed beard and stylish short rich brown hair. This guy was wearing a denim jacket with his collar turned up and was tilting his head a little, his eyes trained on Beca’s nimble fingers moving over the guitar strings. He continued to watch the brunette’s fast and flawless guitar fingering for a while, before moving his eyes to take in Beca’s appearance and slightly nodding his head in approval with the rhythm of Beca’s current song.

 

The guy soon noticed that the musician would sometimes wink at the giggling redhead standing next to him, so he leaned a little bit closer to catch the redhead’s attention and politely asked, “Excuse me, but do you know this artist? I’ve never seen her around here before.” He said in a British accent.

 

Chloe turned her head to him and answered, “Yeah! Her name is Beca Mitchell and she’s my girlfriend.” She smiled and looked back at the singing brunette adoringly before adding, “Isn’t she great? She has this amazing voice and she wrote all those songs herself!”

 

The guy seemed a little surprised at hearing this, “Wow, really? She’s very talented.”

 

Chloe nodded immediately, “I know, right?! Oh, you should totally come see her at this bar where she sings. If you think this is good, wait till you see her with a microphone and a keyboard!”

 

The Brit chuckled lightly, “I’m sure she’ll be great.” He looked back at Beca for a moment before asking Chloe again, “Can you tell me the name of the bar? I really want to listen to some more of her songs.”

 

Chloe let out a small squeal, “Oh my god, yes!” She took out a pen and a piece of paper from her bag and quickly wrote down the name and the address of the bar before handing it to the guy next to her. He took it and thanked the redhead before walking off.

 

Chloe followed his movement with her eyes for a second and happily turned her attention back to her girlfriend. She just loved it when people could see how talented her girlfriend was.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Later that day, Chloe finished her work early and thought she should pay her girlfriend a surprise visit at the restaurant as well. She walked into the restaurant around the time that Beca was about to finish, and instantly smiled when she recognized that Beca was playing one of the sonatas by Mozart.

 

Deciding not to distract the brunette, she walked quietly to stand a few feet behind her girlfriend, listening contently to the beautiful melody. However, an auburn-haired little girl sitting at a table near the piano soon caught her attention.

 

The tiny redhead was staring at the pianist intently, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, completely drawn by Beca’s swift fingers on the keys. Then suddenly, she jumped down from her chair and ran away from her table to stand beside the pianist, enchanted. She tilted her cute little head to watch Beca for a while, before excitedly bouncing over and trying to climb onto Beca’s lap, startling the brunette. But being the experienced and expert pianist as always, Beca still managed to play the piece perfectly, without messing up the notes at all. She locked eyes with the girl for a brief second before the little one nodded at her solemnly and turned to face the piano, trying to make herself comfortable on Beca’s lap while staring at Beca’s nimble fingers in awe.  

 

Beca blinked, not knowing what to do with the child on her lap, again. Seriously, why did this kind of thing keep happening to her? Sighing slightly, she just lifted her right arm really quick to let the girl move to sit right in front of her so the little intruder wouldn’t block her movement up and down the keyboard.

 

Beca watched the tiny redhead amusedly while continuing to play, deciding to add a fancy glissando into the piece near the end, which successfully earned a small squeal from the girl on her lap. Her little audience turned her head to look at Beca, clapping her hands while bouncing excitedly on her lap. Beca chuckled with a slight shake of her head, and finished the piece within the minute.

 

Clearly displeased by the end of the performance, the little girl pouted, and went to pick up Beca’s hand resting on the keys, studying it curiously.  

 

“Maaagic fingers!” The girl whispered and held her breath.

 

Beca laughed, “They are not magic fingers, just normal ones. See?” She waved her hand to her small audience.

 

The little redhead narrowed her eyes incredulously and looked at the brunette’s face for a while, before suddenly touching Beca’s cheek with her small hand, “You are very pretty.” She stated in all seriousness.

 

“Thanks?” Beca answered, amused.

 

Just when the little girl was about to say something else, a woman came up to them, “Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Isabella! How many times did I tell you not to climb onto people’s lap!”

 

“But mom, she has magic fingers!” The little girl protested.

 

The woman picked her daughter up from the pianist lap, smiling apologetically at Beca before walking off with the girl in her arms. Beca watched them walk back towards their table, chuckling again when she saw her tiny audience wave at her with a giant pout and then rest her little head on her mom’s shoulder reluctantly.

 

“Well, those are magic fingers indeed.”

 

Beca whipped her head back around and found her girlfriend leaning against the piano, a wide grin on her face.

 

“How long have you been here?” Beca asked and blushed lightly, before leaning forward to place a kiss on the redhead’s lips.

 

“Oh, from the very beginning of the sonata and I witnessed everything with your little fan right there. I mean if that’s not the cutest thing ever, I don’t know what is. Trust me, I should know since my job allows me to see a LOT of cute things.” Chloe cooed, and dropped down on the bench next to the brunette.

 

Beca rolled her eyes, “Actually I don’t get why kids keep doing this to me. Do they not see I’m a badass or something?”

 

Chloe laughed, “I think they just know you are secretly a softie.”

 

Beca huffed, before smiling at the redhead, “Actually this one kind of reminded me of you, she’s like a small version of you.” She got up from the bench and started to pack her stuff, “You know, the red hair and the whole completely ignoring people’s personal space thing.”

 

Chloe pouted, “You love it when I invade your personal space.”

 

“True, but that’s because you already have a permanent spot in my personal space. So in your case, it’s not called invading, it’s called coming back to.”

 

Chloe’s heart fluttered. She smiled, watching Beca for a moment, before she spoke again, “To be honest, I didn’t know you were this good with kids until today. How many do you think you can handle?” She chuckled lightly.

 

“Two.”

 

Chloe froze, “What?”

 

“Huh? I said I think I could handle two kids, maybe more in the future, but right now, I think two sounds pretty good. I’ll teach them how to play the piano and the guitar, so they can go out there and mock their school music teacher with all those fancy pieces that I’ve taught them. And you could take them to the clinic to see all those cute animals and of course they’ll want to pet everything, which means later I’ll have to come and literally drag those two little monsters away so they wouldn’t disturb you when you are working…” Beca laughed lightly and finally finished packing and was ready to leave.

 

She turned to look at her girlfriend but found that the redhead was looking up at her with tears glistening in her cerulean eyes. Then Beca suddenly realized what she just said. Because yes, she had thought about their future and kids a lot lately, and what she said was actually just a tiny little glimpse of all her reverie. It may seem a little inconceivable. Her, Beca Mitchell, having kids. But it just felt right, it was what she wanted. A family. With Chloe.

 

So maybe because of all those thinking that she did, it just felt natural for the words to slip out of her mouth. But seeing the redhead didn’t comment on what she said, Beca started to panic a little. They had just established an official relationship again, it was probably too soon to talk about kids and stuff. And she didn’t want to scare the redhead away. So Beca quickly went to sit back down beside her girlfriend, taking her hand,

 

“Hey, I’m sorry. I know it’s probably too soon for me to think about this kind of stuff but… I just can’t help myself. I’m serious about what I said, and I would love to have a family with you in the future. Of course we still have a long way to go right now, but I can see my future with you Chloe. I love you and I just want you to know that I’m all in and—”

 

“It sounds perfect Beca.” Chloe smiled. She quickly brought up a hand to brush away a few escaped tears, “I would love to have a family with you too.” She watched Beca’s lips curve upwards into a wide grin and couldn’t help but lean in to kiss the brunette, feeling her heart soar into the sky with the overwhelming happiness she felt.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is Lego House by Ed Sheeran


	26. Chapter 26

“Oh shoot! I’m gonna be late! Em, can you lock the door when you leave? I need to go now, I told Beca I would be at the bar tonight!” Chloe asked as she hurriedly went to pick up her coat and bag, fish out the keys and hand them over to Emily with a hopeful look.

 

“Of course. You’ve already been stuck here for the past two nights, I wouldn’t want you to miss this one. Now go, I’ve got it here.” Emily chuckled, taking the keys from Chloe.

 

“Oh god! Thank you thank you thank you, you are a lifesaver!” Chloe quickly went to hug the younger vet and offered her an apologetic smile before dashing out of the clinic and driving to the bar.

 

When she finally arrived, Beca was nowhere to be seen. She took a quick look around the room but still failed to find the brunette. So she figured she’d go and say hello to Amy first.

 

The blonde spotted Chloe and exclaimed happily, “Finally, ginger! You are a bit late you know.”

 

“Hey Amy! Yeah, I know I know, I got a little carried away at the clinic.” She then turned her head to look at the stage again, still no Beca. “Where’s Beca?”

 

“Oh, some guy came up to her earlier and wanted to speak to her. They are in that booth over there.” Fat Amy pointed at a booth located on the other side of the room.

 

Chloe looked over in that direction and found Beca sitting there in the booth with a stunned expression on her face, her mouth slightly open. The guy sitting opposite the brunette had his back to Chloe so she couldn’t see his face.

 

Chloe was a little confused, but seeing that they seemed to be having a conversation, she decided not to interrupt and wait till they were done. She watched the guy give Beca a small card before standing up, which prompted the brunette to immediately stand up as well. They shook hands before the guy turned around to leave.

 

Chloe frowned when she finally saw his face. _He looks a little familiar_ _…_ Chloe thought hard but couldn’t remember where she saw the man before. Shaking her head lightly, she decided to let it go for now and go talk to her girlfriend.

 

“Hey babe, sorry I’m late.” She bounced over to the brunette who was still standing near the booth and looking down at the card in her hand.

 

Beca looked up at her and smiled, “That’s okay Chlo, everything all right at the clinic?”

 

“Yeah, just boring quarterly inventory check and filing. Hey… who was that guy earlier?” She asked curiously.

 

Beca looked down at the card again before showing it to Chloe, disbelief on her face, “You know Tornadic? The record label?”

 

“I think so… Didn’t you just mention it a few days ago? It’s the one that has the most best-selling artists in New York right?” Chloe took the card and saw that it was actually a business card which read:

****

**_ Tornadic Records _ **

**_Theo Douglas_ **

**_Executive Music Producer_ **

 

The redhead’s heart was suddenly racing, “Wait, Beca? He’s a music producer? Why did he give you his card? What were you guys talking about?!” She held her breath, almost too afraid to move or make any more sounds.

 

Beca stared at the card in Chloe’s hand for a few seconds before looking into Chloe’s wide eyes, “He said that he liked my songs and asked me to go to his office on Friday with some demos.”

 

“Oh my—”

 

“Yeah I know! But you know what’s weird?” Beca cut off her girlfriend’s screaming and looked back at the business card, a little confused.

 

“What?”

 

“He said that he had heard me sing before and that he agreed I sound better with a microphone and a keyboard…” Beca knitted her brows together, “I know I’ve started sending out demos again lately, but I never sent one to Tornadic since I didn’t think I’d have a chance there… so I thought he just happened to be in this bar tonight, but then he said a fan of mine told him to come here—”

 

“Oh my god Beca!” Chloe suddenly remembered why the guy looked so familiar, “He’s… he’s the guy from the other day… Oh my god!”

 

Beca’s head snapped up, “What? What are you talking about?!” She watched her girlfriend’s lips slowly curl upwards into a giant grin and urged, “Chloe? Do you know him?”

 

Chloe squealed, “Do you remember like a week ago you went to the clinic during my lunch break and played a street concert for me?” Seeing the brunette nodding, she excitedly continued, “Well, he was there that day! He was standing next to me and he asked about you, so I kind of bragged about you a little and gave him the address of the bar.”

 

“Oh my god! You…” Beca was stunned, “Wait, let me get this straight… so it was you that basically got me a meeting with an executive music producer at one of the most successful labels in the country?!”

 

“No babe, I didn’t get you the meeting, you got it yourself! I just guided the way. Oh my god, I’m so thrilled! This is definitely worth celebrating! We should totally celebrate!” Chloe couldn’t even stand still now. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, barely containing her excitement.

 

Beca laughed, “Don’t you think it’s too early to be celebrating? It’s just a meeting.”

 

“No, it’s a meeting that will most likely change your life Beca!” Chloe leaned in and kissed Beca hard for a few seconds before pulling back, “Whether you like it or not, we are celebrating tonight! End of discussion!”

 

Beca rolled her eyes playfully, “Fine. But only a small celebration okay? I need to start picking the songs and I only have 3 more days to—”

 

“Uh-uh, you’ll worry about that tomorrow! Now go finish the last few hours of your shift before we can start celebrating! I need to go tell this amazing news to Jesse and Amy!” Chloe squealed again, placing another peck on Beca’s lips and sprinting to the bar to talk to Amy.

 

Beca smiled. She watched her girlfriend talking animatedly at the bar with Amy for a while before going back to the stage, feeling as if she was dreaming even with her eyes wide open. Her heart was still drumming loudly in her ears, while excitement and hope rushed through her veins. After all these years, she finally felt like she was taking a step closer to what she had always been chasing, and it was all because of Chloe.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Well, what do you think?” Beca paused the current track on her laptop and turned to look at Chloe expectantly.

 

“I think it sounds great babe!” Chloe beamed.

 

Beca whined, “But that’s exactly what you said about the last two sets of demos that I played for you!”

 

The redhead laughed, before moving to sit on her anxious girlfriend’s lap, “Hey, that’s because they all sound amazing Becs!” She planted a kiss on Beca’s cheek, “And you need to relax, I’m sure he’ll like it no matter which one you decide to use.”

 

Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe’s waist automatically and slightly threw her head back, “I just feel like it’s not good enough… ugh, why did I write so many songs?! I really need to find the best combination you know? I think the second set is okay, but it mostly contains my newly-written songs… do you think I should put more of my old songs in there? I could—”

 

“Oh my god! Stop Beca!” Chloe chuckled while shaking her head a little, “Don’t be paranoid okay? If you think the second set is good, then just use that one! The meeting is tomorrow, so you need to sleep now, not make more changes! I know you haven’t slept much in the last three days and I didn’t say anything because I knew you were trying to prepare the perfect set of demos. But now you have three of them babe! Three! So right now you are going to sleep. I’m not letting you stay up late again to put together a fourth set!”

 

Beca pouted, “Fine, but do you really think the second one is good enough? Do you like it?”

 

“I love it Beca! It sounds really really great.” Chloe reassured.

 

“Okay.” Beca sighed, “Then I guess I’ll use the second set tomorrow.” She reached out to close the laptop on the coffee table and shrugged, “But I don’t think I can sleep anyway, I’m way too nervous so…”

 

A smirk crept into the corner of Chloe’s lips, “Oh don’t worry, I have an idea to help you relax and sleep.” She brushed Beca’s brown locks back from her shoulder, leaning closer and beginning to trail lingering kisses along the brunette’s neck.

 

Beca’s breath hitched a little, “Oh, so this is your idea?” She chuckled but tightened her hold around Chloe’s waist, pulling her girlfriend even closer.

 

“Mm-hmm.” The redhead hummed against Beca’s pulse point, “Are you relaxed now?”

 

“Well… not so much. But keep going, we’ll find out.”

 

Chloe smiled, slowly kissing her way up Beca’s neck while enjoying the feeling of the brunette’s fingers soothingly running through her hair. She moved her attention away from her girlfriend’s neck after a while, giving Beca a soft peck on the lips before looking deep into those steel-blue eyes, “Don’t worry, babe. You are going to nail this, and I can’t wait to tell everyone—”

 

“Chloe…” Beca sighed, averting her gaze from Chloe’s firm eyes and looking down.

 

“Hey,” Chloe brought up a hand to stroke Beca’s cheek, brushing a few strands of hair from the brunette’s face as they fell across her eye, “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing’s wrong, I just…” Beca closed her eyes, “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up you know? And I’m not… I’m not exactly nervous, I just… I’m just a little…”

 

“Scared?” Chloe finished the sentence for Beca softly.

 

Beca let out a long sigh and whispered, “Yeah… scared.” She took Chloe’s hand and linked their fingers together, “I know this is a big opportunity, and I’m really excited. I really am. It’s just that I haven’t been this hopeful for a long time, what if in the end it just turns out to be another failed attempt? What if I’m never good enough to be in this industry? I’m just… I’m scared to think about all the potential outcomes or to have any expectations, only to get slammed into the ground again…”

 

“Then don’t.” Chloe said gently, tilting her head down a little so she could look Beca in the eye, “Don’t have any expectations and don’t think about all those ‘what ifs’. A legit music producer wants to listen to your demos Beca, he wouldn’t do that if he thinks you are no good. You are exceptional actually. And right now, don’t overthink it or worry about the unknowns. Just have a good sleep and then go to the meeting tomorrow, you’ll deal with whatever comes then okay? And I’m going to be there with you as well.”

 

“You are?” Beca looked up at her girlfriend.

 

“Of course!” Chloe smiled, squeezing Beca’s hand, “Of course I’ll be there. And whatever happens, I’ll be right by your side so you don’t have to face it alone. Now how about this, no matter what the outcome is, I’ll just grab you and kiss you hard right on the spot. However, I’m very confident that it’ll be a celebratory kiss.” Chloe finished with a mischievous smirk and winked at the brunette.

 

Beca laughed, “Well, that’s definitely something to look forward to.” She gazed at the beaming redhead and lifted their intertwined hands to press a gentle kiss to the back of Chloe’s hand, “Thank you.”

 

Chloe grinned, “Ready to go to bed now?” She tried to stand up from Beca’s lap but was tugged back down by the brunette, “What?”

 

“I thought you were trying to help me relax, well I’m still a little tense.” Beca smirked.

 

Chloe giggled and leaned in to capture Beca’s soft lips with her own again. “Better?” She asked between kisses, amused.

 

“Much better.” Beca hummed happily, all her previous doubts and fears completely swept away now.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Chloe, chill out. Why are you suddenly so nervous anyway? I’m the one that’s about to go in and play my demos for a highly respected music producer.” Beca teased her girlfriend in amusement, eyes following the redhead’s every movement.

 

They were now in the waiting area outside Theo’s office. Beca was sitting in an armchair flipping through a magazine while Chloe kept pacing back and forth in front of the brunette restlessly. Ever since they walked into the label’s building, the redhead got extremely jittery all of a sudden for some unknown reason and now Beca had to be the one to calm her girlfriend down.

 

“Seriously Chlo! You are starting to make me nervous too!” Beca chuckled.

 

“Sorry, sorry babe.” Chloe bounced back to sit down on the chair next to Beca, “I’m just really excited, this place is amazing! And I think this could be it Beca! This could be IT!”

 

“Chloe, what did we talk about last night? Don’t get your hopes up okay? It may not be it.” Beca warned.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know but… I just have this feeling… like I can already see you work here every day from now on Becs. I really think this is it.”

 

Before Beca could reply, a lady who looked like an assistant walked out of Theo’s office, “Beca Mitchell?” She called, looking back and forth between the two.

 

“Yes, I’m Beca.” The brunette immediately stood up, waiting for further instructions.

 

“Great,” The lady smiled, “Mr. Douglas is waiting for you.” She finished and started to walk away, leaving the door open for Beca.

 

“Well,” Beca turned to look at Chloe, “I’m going in.”

 

“Good luck babe.” Chloe quickly stood up as well, leaning in to peck Beca on the lips, “You’ve got this.”

 

“I’ve got this.” Beca took in a deep breath, offering her girlfriend a small smile before turning around and disappearing into Theo’s office.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been nearly an hour since Beca went in and Chloe felt like she was going crazy waiting outside. She spent the first 20 minutes pacing around the waiting area and then went to sit down for about 15 minutes, before standing up and resuming her pacing again. She didn’t understand why she was so nervous. Seriously, she wasn’t even this nervous when she was waiting for the call-back for her first internship application!

 

The redhead groaned, “Why is it taking so long?!” She went back and threw herself into the armchair that Beca was sitting in not long ago. _Well maybe it’s actually a good thing to take this long. At least it means that they have a lot of things to talk about, and that’s good, right?_ Chloe thought, staring at the closed office door in front of her warily while trying hard to calm her pounding heart.

 

After another 20 minutes, Beca finally walked out of Theo’s office and closed the door behind her softly. But instead of walking back to Chloe, she just stood there for a moment with an unreadable face, a little transfixed.

 

Seeing the brunette step out, Chloe immediately jumped out of her chair and rushed to her girlfriend.

 

“Well?” She urged, searching Beca’s eyes but failed to gain any clues or any hints.

 

Beca blinked, she looked up at the redhead’s eager eyes without saying a word. Then finally, she opened her mouth, “I got signed.” She whispered.

 

Chloe’s heart almost stopped right there, “Come again?” Her voice was shaking a little.

 

“I got signed.” Beca repeated a little louder this time, her own eyes filled with astonishment. She looked deep into Chloe’s baby blue eyes, “I got signed.”

 

“Oh my god… OH MY GOD! BECA! OH MY GOD!” Chloe exclaimed, while her hands shot up to cover her mouth, “OH MY GOD!!!”

 

“I know!” Beca swallowed, “OH MY GOD!”

 

Neither of them said a word after that, they just stood there a few feet outside Theo’s office, staring at each other without any movements, as if time had stopped and the world just simply froze.

 

Tears started to emerge in Beca’s eyes, her lips beginning to tremble a little, “Chloe… I got signed.”

 

“I know baby, I know.” Chloe dropped her hands, her own eyes brimming with tears as well, “You got signed.” Then without any hesitation, she pulled the brunette closer and wrapped her arms around her tightly, instantly burying her face into those brown locks.

 

Beca hugged Chloe back just as tight, sinking into the redhead’s strong yet soft arms and finally failing to hold back her tears. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of Chloe’s body pressing against hers, smiling when she felt Chloe squeeze her arms around her a fraction tighter, if that was even possible.

 

They didn’t know how long they stood there, clinging onto each other, nor did they care. When they finally parted, Chloe gently wiped away the tears on Beca’s face, and gradually, a wide smile spread across her face, so bright that it could almost rival the sun itself.

 

“I’m so proud of you.” Chloe whispered slowly, before crashing their lips together and tasting the saltiness of those remaining tears on Beca’s lips. Unconsciously, she pushed Beca against the office door with a soft thud and started kissing her using all her strength.

 

After a few minutes of passionate kissing, the door that Beca was leaning against suddenly swung open, which almost caused her to topple backward onto the ground. Luckily, Chloe caught her just in time. And the brunette quickly turned around to find Theo standing there with an amused face.

 

“Umm… ladies, you might want to take the celebration outside the label, you know we sort of have surveillance cameras everywhere.” He chuckled, “And Beca, I’ll see you next week, yeah?”

 

Beca’s face flushed crimson instantly, “Y-yeah, sir, I’ll see you… uh next week. Monday, 9am, on the dot. I won’t be late, not that I’ve ever been late to anything, I… uh I’m very punctual I swear, and… dammit, I should stop talking now.”

 

Theo laughed, and turned to look at Chloe, “Well, better get your girlfriend out of here. I wouldn’t want my artist to die of embarrassment not even 20 minutes after she got signed.”

 

Chloe giggled, before growing a little more serious, “Thank you. So much.” She said sincerely, looking up at the British music producer.

 

Theo smiled, “Don’t thank me, I should be thanking you actually, for leading me to a brilliant artist. Now, get out of here you two, go celebrate while I go back to my boring paperwork.”

 

Chloe smiled and nodded, watching Theo wave at them and close his office door again.

 

“Well,” Chloe turned to look at the blushing brunette, “You heard your boss, let’s go home and celebrate!” She squealed excitedly and took Beca’s hand, starting to drag her towards the elevator.

 

“Okay… but why are we going home to celebrate? Don’t you want to go to a restaurant or something?” Beca asked, a little confused.

 

Chloe turned around and gave Beca a meaningful look, then the brunette instantly got the message, “Ohhh… right…” She grinned, “Yeah, let’s go home.”

 

 


	27. Chapter 27

 

* * *

 

 

Beca opened her apartment door after her first day at the label and was surprised to see that Chloe was already in her kitchen, taking out boxes of food from a huge paper bag.

 

“Chlo? What are you doing here? I thought you said you might get held up at the clinic today?” Beca closed the door and tossed her bag onto the couch, before walking over to Chloe with a giant smile.

 

Chloe looked up and beamed at her girlfriend, sinking into Beca’s soft embrace as the brunette wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.

 

“I was able to leave early since a few appointments got cancelled last minute. So I thought I’d pick up some food on the way home to celebrate your first day!” She finally pulled out the final box from the bag and excitedly turned around, circling her arms around Beca’s neck and pulling her closer, “So? How was your first day? I want to hear EVERYTHING!” She squealed.

 

Beca laughed, “I’ll tell you all about it later, now what have you got there? I’m starving!”

 

“I got us some tacos, grilled corn on the cob and guacamole with chips from that Mexican restaurant you like so much—"

 

“Oh my god, I love you!” Beca exclaimed, immediately going to open one of the food containers.

 

Chloe chuckle lightly, “I love you too. And why are you this hungry? Did you have lunch today?”

 

“I only had an apple for lunch so…” Beca replied, already chowing down on some corn chips, “Oh, and I love you too babe, but I was talking to the food earlier.” She snickered, dodging the redhead’s playful smack.

 

“So you are already super busy on your first day? That’s good, right?” Chloe asked, deciding to let the teasing slide for now. She was really eager to hear about Beca’s first day. And judging by the giant smile on the brunette’s face, she knew it was definitely a great day.

 

“Yeah, it was almost too good to be true. Everything’s even better than I could ever imagine.” Beca smiled at the beaming redhead, “Theo wants me to write a new song and release it as a single as soon as possible, so I’ve already started working on that today.”

 

“Oh my god! That’s amazing Becs!” Chloe exclaimed, “So another new song, huh? But why wouldn’t Theo just pick one from your old songs? They are all great and it would save a lot of time too?” She asked curiously.

 

“I think it’s just how the label works. It’s all about demonstrating your abilities as an artist when you are newly signed, and Theo said that if I do well, I’ll be able to gain more freedom on my future work. But I’m not worried, because I already have an idea about this new song.” Beca smirked and winked at the redhead.

 

“Of course you don’t need to worry babe! I’m sure whatever you come up with, it’ll sound wonderful!” Chloe said excitedly, loving the fact that the confident Beca was back, “So when do you think I’ll be able to hear this new song of yours?”

 

“Soon… I’m still writing the lyrics though— hey, don’t give me that look Chlo! This time I’m not giving you any sneak peeks, okay? I kind of want this song to be a surprise. So you’ll only get to hear it when it’s all finished.” Beca watched Chloe’s shoulders slump slightly, and giggled internally at the pout on her girlfriend’s face.

 

“Fine. But you’ll be free this weekend, right?” Chloe perked up, suddenly remembering something.

 

“Yeah,” Beca beamed, “We could finally do something together, do you have anything in mind?”

 

“Umm… about that…” Chloe bit her lip a little nervously, “You know Aubrey’s birthday is this Saturday, right? She always has this party at her apartment and I kinda agreed that we would help her set everything up this year so…” She finished with an apologetic look.

 

Beca groaned, “Seriously Chlo? I just found out last week that she’s been calling me hobbit all along and now I have to help her with her birthday party?” She whined and slightly pouted, “And I still can’t believe you didn’t even tell me she’s been calling me that behind my back!”

 

Chloe laughed, “You’ve already teased her enough whenever you can babe. So you’ll come and help?” She asked hopefully.

 

“Alright, I’ll help… but only because I want to spend time with you.”

 

Chloe squealed, “You are the best!” She leaned in to place a soft peck on Beca’s lips, “And I promise, I’m all yours on Sunday, we can do whatever you want!”

 

“Really? Whatever I want?” Beca smirked.

 

“Yeah really.” Chloe giggled, “Now go change and wash up, I’ll take the food to the living room. I want to know every detail about your day when you get back!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe arrived at Aubrey’s penthouse apartment with Beca on Saturday but found her best friend was running around her apartment frantically in her business suit, looking like she was trying to find something.

 

“Bree? What are you doing? And why are you dressed all formal? Are you going somewhere?” Chloe asked, not sure what was going on.

 

Aubrey finally located her car keys under the files on her coffee table. She picked up her bag and looked up at Chloe and Beca apologetically.

 

“Yeah, sorry guys. Emergency meeting at the firm, so I’ll be gone for a while. I’ll try to come back at 5 though, the party starts at 6 anyway so I think I’ll have enough time to change and all.”

 

“Oh okay. So what do you want us to do before you get back?” Chloe asked.

 

“Well, not much actually. I’m keeping everything simple this year and I’ve already got most of the decorations done… Oh, right, I need you guys to wait here since the caterer will be delivering the food soon, and it would also be great if you could put those stickers on the cocktail and wine glasses.” Aubrey replied, while hurriedly walking towards her apartment door.

 

“Sure Bree, we’ll see you at 5 then. Happy birthday and have fun at work!” Chloe laughed lightly. Her best friend sure was a workaholic.

 

“Thanks Chloe, I will.” Aubrey laughed as well. She glanced at Beca when she was about to close her apartment door, “And thanks for coming here to help, hobbit.” With that, she quickly shut the door with a smirk before Beca could even talk back.

 

“Hey! What the—” Beca groaned loudly and turned to face her girlfriend, “Chloe! Did you hear that?! This is outrageous! She just called me that to my face!”

 

Chloe giggled, “Yeah I heard, I’ll talk to her about it okay? Now stop pouting, let’s get to work.” She reached out and dragged the reluctant brunette to the kitchen, getting started on the task that Aubrey left them.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After about an hour, Beca was getting extremely bored. The trays of food had already arrived and were being placed on the kitchen island. So Chloe had to move their makeshift work station to the living room. They were currently alone in the apartment, sitting on the couch and still putting fancy stickers on those endless glasses. Seriously, why did the blonde need so many glasses?!

 

Beca stole a few glances at her girlfriend, seeing Chloe seemed to be really focused on doing the work as told. She pouted slightly, put down the glass in her hand and stood up to go to the kitchen for a much-needed break.

 

She walked towards the kitchen island and looked at the trays of food curiously, since the food just looked really fancy and weird.

 

“Seriously, Chlo, what is this thing? Apricot?” Beca leaned in closer and studied the food carefully.

 

Chloe lifted her head and glanced at the tray that Beca was staring at, “That’s goat cheese and apricot crostini with pistachios and mint babe.”

 

Beca looked up at her girlfriend incredulously, “Okay… and what are these?” She pointed at another tray.

 

“Those are smoked prosciutto wrapped apple bites.”

 

“Oh my god.” Beca stared at the redhead in disbelief, “I don’t even want to know how you even know those names. Seriously, this is a birthday party, not some business networking and fancy cocktail party…” She huffed, and when Chloe didn’t answer, she widened her eyes, “Chloe?! It’s not a business or cocktail party, right?!”

 

Chloe shrugged a little, “Umm… consider it like a birthday-themed cocktail party? Anyway, Bree always uses her birthday as an excuse to do more networking and extend her connections—”

 

“Oh my god!” Beca exclaimed with a horrified look in her eyes, “Your best friend is out of this world! I mean who treats their birthday as work too?! Now I feel underdressed, should I wear a cocktail hat and carry a clutch as well?” She added sarcastically.

 

Chloe laughed, “You look fine babe, very hot actually. Now come here and help me with the stickers already!”

 

Beca smirked, suddenly having an idea. She slowly walked back to the couch and sat down next to her girlfriend, “Alright, I’ll help.” She took out her phone from her pocket and tapped on the screen a few times, before placing it on the coffee table in front them. Within a few seconds, her phone started to play one of her old songs, and surprisingly, the unexpected great acoustics in Aubrey’s living room actually helped create a great vibe.

 

Beca smiled approvingly, before slowly leaning towards Chloe and starting to trail light kisses along the redhead’s neck.

 

“What are you doing?” Chloe warned, her breath hitching a little. But instead of moving away, she automatically tilted her head to the side to give Beca more access.

 

“I’m helping, like you asked me to.” Beca said, nibbling at the redhead’s pulse point, “You look stressed enough with all those stickers. There are way too many glasses.”

 

Chloe hummed at the feeling of Beca’s lips against her neck but still tried to maintain a stern voice, “Hey, behave. We still have work to do before Aubrey gets back. And what’s with the music?”

 

“Well, we’ve been working hard for nearly an hour. I think we could use a break.” Beca smirked, already knowing Chloe’s resolve was beginning to break judging by the fact that the redhead was fiddling with the same glass that was in her hand five minutes ago. She pulled back slightly, “And you know back when I was still singing at the bar, Fat Amy once mentioned that I tended to play sappy songs after we got back together, which was kinda true because I was always thinking about you when I was singing there. So I thought I’d put together a playlist of those songs. Some are my own, others are just songs that would remind me of you.”

 

Chloe put down the glass on the coffee table and turned to face her girlfriend, grinning, “This is that playlist?”

 

“Yep, this is the playlist called ‘Chloe’s songs’. So what do you say? Shall we take that much-needed break now?”

 

“Okay, but only for 10 minutes. Then we have to go back to work.” Chloe chuckled, while scooting closer to her girlfriend and immediately locking their lips together.

 

The kiss grew heavier by the second. Beca’s hand reached for Chloe’s and they interlock as the two continued to kiss passionately and hungrily on the couch. Then without warning, Beca pulled Chloe’s thick wool sweater up over her head in one swift motion, leaving little sparks of static dancing over her skin and making the redhead giggle a little.

 

Beca tossed the sweater aside and immediately crashed her lips against Chloe’s again with even more passion and affection as her warm hands gently skimmed her girlfriend’s newly-exposed skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake and causing the redhead to shiver lightly in complete pleasure and ecstasy.

 

At this point, Chloe could no longer think clearly under Beca’s soft touch. She tugged her girlfriend even closer, feeling as if her mind was short-circuited in the best possible way while heat travelled through her veins, warming her and making her a little dizzy. However, after a while, when she felt Beca’s hand wander to her jean button, she suddenly came back to her senses,

 

“Wait wait, we shouldn’t…” Chloe panted, trying really hard to concentrate while Beca moved her attention back to her neck.

 

“Exactly, we shouldn’t… but we still could.” Beca whispered in a husky voice, nibbling Chloe’s collarbone now, “No one but us will ever know about this you know.”

 

_Dammit, that was hot._

 

Nevertheless, after a quick internal battle, Chloe still didn’t want to face even the slightest possibility of her best friend finding out and strangling her to death in the near future. So she gathered her remaining strength and reluctantly pulled back, “Not here babe, let’s go home now.”

 

Beca pouted and sat back slightly, “What about the stickers?”

 

Chloe glared at her girlfriend, while standing up to pick up her sweater from the floor and quickly putting it back on, “Seriously? Now you care about the stickers?!”

 

Beca laughed and held up her hands, “Hey, you were the one that said we should only take a short break and then get back to work. I’m just reminding you, you know, in case you forgot.” She smirked at Chloe’s flustered state.

 

The redhead glanced at the stickers and glasses left on the coffee table, “Well we still have 2 hours before Aubrey gets back and there are only like two dozen glasses left to sticker. Plus, it’s only a 10-minute drive from here to my apartment, we’ll come back in an hour and finish the work then.”

 

“Wow, you’ve got it all figured out huh?” Beca snickered, “I’m impressed with all the logical thinking Beale, but are you sure we’ll be able to get back in an hour?” She winked suggestively at the redhead.

 

Chloe’s cheeks were suddenly burning, “If you quit stalling now, we could totally make it.” She spluttered, “You are doing this on purpose, aren’t you! You just had to get me all worked up—”

 

“Hey guys, I’m back!”

 

Aubrey’s voice suddenly sounded from the door, startling the redhead. She quickly turned around to face her best friend, running a hand through her slightly messy hair and trying to act normal, “Hey Bree, y-you are back early.”

 

Aubrey eyed the two suspiciously. Chloe looked a little embarrassed and Beca just looked like she was about to burst into laughter any second. She frowned slightly and closed her apartment door, “Yeah, the meeting finished sooner than I thought… What’s going on with you two though? Why are you acting weird?”

 

“Wh-what? Nothing’s going on. We were just doing the work as you asked.” Chloe quickly went back to the couch and sat down next to the amused brunette, picking up a glass from the coffee table.

 

“Yep, everything’s fine. Your best friend here is very responsible actually. She takes those stickers very seriously and couldn’t be distracted at all.” Beca commented innocently, which made the redhead blush even harder.

 

“Okay,” Aubrey shrugged, “I’ll just go change and join you later. Thanks again for the help.”

 

After Aubrey disappeared into her bedroom, Chloe turned to glare at her giggling girlfriend, “Why do I feel like you are enjoying this a little too much!”

 

“Oh, I totally am. And would you look at the time, looks like we still have a few hours before we could go home.” Beca teased the frustrated redhead in a sing-song voice.

 

Chloe groaned, “I hate you so much.” She muttered and tried to channel her frustration into the work at hand.

 

Beca laughed again, and went to plant a quick kiss on Chloe’s cheek, “No you don’t, you love me.”

 

Chloe huffed, shoving a glass into Beca’s hand, “Yeah yeah, now make yourself useful okay?! I hope you know I’m confiscating that playlist of yours and I’ll totally get back at you once we get home.”

 

“Oh please, I can’t wait. And by the way…” Beca grinned and leaned in to whisper in Chloe’s ear, making the redhead shudder a little involuntarily, “You've got your sweater on backwards.”

 

Chloe instantly looked down and gasped, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, “Oh my god!” She quickly stood up and sprinted to the bathroom to flip it around, leaving the brunette roaring with laughter on the couch.

 

 

* * *

 

 

In the blink of an eye, five busy weeks had flown by, and it seemed that everything was heading in the right direction.

 

Beca was doing great at the label. She had learnt a lot during these past few weeks. Theo was a great mentor and a very experienced producer who had a lot of solid comments about her work. They had been working hard on this new single that she was about to release, and she was so absorbed in perfecting this song that several times, Chloe had to literally drag her to bed in the middle of the night and force her to get some sleep. But she just couldn’t contain the excitement. After all these years, it finally felt like all those distant dreams she used to have about her career were actually achievable now. It finally felt like she was on the right track, heading towards all those wild goals step by step with an inexhaustible supply of enthusiasm and energy inside her, warming her and giving her strength, inspiration and drive.

 

She knew that she was never a perfect person. She had her weak moments, she had hit rock bottom, and she had almost drowned in the darkness more times than she could count. Yet somehow, every time, she managed to pick herself up, move on, learn from her mistakes and start all over again. And it was such an extraordinary feeling, being able to know that all the setbacks and pain she experienced didn’t break her like she thought they would. Instead, they just made her stronger. And all those years of struggling? Well they were only distant memories now, which she knew didn’t hold any power to snuff out her hope or make her doubt herself anymore.

 

And the best part of it all was that she was no longer all on her own. She had Chloe back now. She was no longer drifting in the ocean, lost and alone, because she had found her anchor again. She had found someone that she could share her joy of success with; someone who could heal the wounds that she didn’t even know was there; someone that she could always come home to whenever she was worn out or disheartened. And she knew this person would smile at her, hug her tight and hold her hands, telling her not to give up and that everything would be okay.

 

Occasionally, Beca would still wake up in a state of panic, fearing that everything in her life right now was just a fond dream. But almost immediately, she would feel the familiar warmth beside her and let relief wash over her when she saw Chloe snuggling up against her side, looking so content and beautiful in her sleep. And then, she would smile and pull the redhead even closer, allowing herself to fall peacefully back to sleep again. She knew she would be okay from now on. Because as long as she had Chloe by her side, she would always be able to push through the storms of life with a tenacious heart, free of any fears or hesitation.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe walked into Beca’s apartment after work and spotted her girlfriend’s bag on the couch, but the brunette was nowhere to be seen.

 

She kicked off her shoes while calling out, “Babe? You home?”

 

“In here.” Beca’s voice sounded from the bedroom, slightly muffled.

 

Chloe chuckled. She quickly bounced over to the bedroom and found Beca lying on the bed facedown, her arms and legs all splayed out. She leaned against the door frame and watched the brunette in amusement, “You are home early today.”

 

Beca groaned, slowly sitting up to look at her girlfriend, “Yeah, I’ve finally finished everything for the song today, and I’m exhaus—” She didn’t even get to finish the sentence when the redhead instantly hopped onto the bed and tackled her again.

 

“Oh my god!” Chloe exclaimed, bouncing on the bed, “That’s amazing Beca! When can I hear it?! You said when it’s finished, I can finally hear it!”

 

Beca chuckled, “Whoa, calm down Chlo.” She swore sometimes Chloe was even more excited about her music than herself. The redhead would go on and on about the differences between Beca’s early and current song-writing style, and she even managed to categorize all her songs into different playlists based on mood, genre and theme, which kind of shocked Beca when she first found out. In addition, Chloe also had a strong tendency to brag about Beca to random people whenever opportunity presented itself. The most recent bragging session occurred when they were waiting in line at a coffee shop while the two girls in front of them just so happened to be talking about music from new artists, and of course Chloe joined the conversation with ease. Every time this kind of thing happened, Beca would always act embarrassed and glared at her girlfriend. But secretly, she loved it so very much and it would always make her a little giddy when she saw the genuine passion, pride and adoration in those cerulean eyes.

 

Normally Beca would play her new songs to Chloe and get some honest opinions first. But this time was different, she kind of wanted it to be a surprise for certain reasons. And she was actually quite proud of herself for being able to resist a whole month of pouting and begging from the redhead, although several times she almost caved in.

 

Beca looked at Chloe’s expectant and sparkly eyes, before smirking suggestively, “Well, I’d love to play it for you now, but I’m kind of exhausted you know.”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes playfully, “Fine! Come here, I’ll give you a back rub.”

 

Hearing that, Beca happily scooted over and lay down on her stomach again, grinning, “Work your magic, doc.”

 

Chloe laughed a little, placing her hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders and starting to gently massage those tense muscles. “So when will this song be released?” She asked excitedly.

 

“Well, if everything goes as planned, it should be out by this Friday.”

 

Chloe squealed, her hands unconsciously applying too much pressure to Beca’s shoulders, making the brunette yelp a little.

 

“Oops, sorry babe, I’m just so excited!” Chloe chuckled, instantly lightening her touch. “So… you’ll play this song for me later?” She asked hopefully, while moving her hands down to rub small circles along Beca’s spine.

 

“Well, actually, Jesse texted me earlier and invited us to go to the bar tonight. Apparent he has finally found a new bar singer and he wants my opinion on this artist.”

 

“What? When do we have to leave?”

 

“Umm, about now.” Beca grinned and turned her head to look at the redhead.

 

 “Wait… so all this time you were just stalling so you wouldn’t have to play your new song to me?!” Chloe gasped, starting to use one of her hands to poke Beca in the side.

 

Beca laughed, artfully dodging her girlfriend’s tickle attack before grabbing Chloe’s hand and pressing a quick kiss to the back of it. “I wouldn’t call it stalling, I just really missed your back rub.” She winked and jumped out of her bed, walking to her closet to find something to change into.

 

“I seriously don’t understand why you are being so secretive about this song!” Chloe huffed, “I’m really really really curious, Becs.”

 

Beca glanced back at her pouting girlfriend, chuckling inside, “I have my reasons, and you’ll find out soon.”

 

Chloe let out a frustrated groan, watching Beca going through her closet with that incredibly smug lopsided smile on her face. She narrowed her eyes and jumped out of the bed too, taking one of the pillows with her and began to sidle up to the unguarded brunette, “Well, since we’ll all be there anyway, we should celebrate that you’ve finally finished that song. I’ll call Aubrey, CR and Emily to see if they could make it too. What do you think?”

 

Beca shrugged, trying to pull out a shirt from the bottom of her drawer, “Sure, I—”

 

But before she could finish, Chloe surged forward and hit Beca right on her back with the pillow, nearly knocking the brunette off balance.

 

“Hey, what—” Beca spun around on her heels in surprise, only to find her girlfriend sprinting out of the room while yelling triumphantly,

 

“Payback for not letting me hear your song, Mitchell!”

 

“Oh this means WAR Beale!” Beca immediately went to snatch another pillow from her bed, before running after her giggling girlfriend, “You are so going to regret what you just did!”

 

She chased Chloe into the living room, through the kitchen, then back to the living room, but still failed to catch the fast redhead. Eventually, Beca was a bit out of breath, so she threw herself onto the couch in a huff and tried to rest a little before launching into another attack. Again, she seriously needed to exercise more from now on!

 

“Giving up already?” Chloe stood a few feet away from the frustrated brunette and wiggled her eyebrows challengingly.

 

“You wish!” There was no way that Beca would give in, so she threw her pillow in Chloe’s direction, hoping to hit her target.

 

Chloe laughed, catching the pillow as it hit her chest. But just when she was about to throw it back, she suddenly changed her mind and held up the two pillows victoriously. “Bad strategy Mitchell, now you’ve lost your only weapon.” She smirked, and started to approach the rattled brunette slowly.

 

 _Damn it!_ Beca immediately jumped out of the couch and fled back to her room while shouting, “Truce truce truce! We have to leave for the bar! Chlo! Stop it! Chloe—”

 

But of course Chloe caught her with ease and tackled her onto the bed again. She straddled Beca and got rid of the pillows, starting to teasingly tickle her defenceless girlfriend with a triumphant smirk playing at the corner of her lips. She ran her fingers up and down Beca’s sides quickly, watching Beca dissolve into a puddle of laughter and she could feel Beca’s stomach shaking as the brunette tried to fight a new gale of giggles.

 

After a few minutes, Chloe finally decided to stop her attack on her girlfriend. She looked down at Beca, smiling when she saw the brunette was still chuckling lightly, a little red-faced and out of breath from all the previous laughing. Then all of a sudden, there was this moment again. A moment when she could look at Beca and immediately forget everything else; A moment when she could gaze into those stormy blue eyes and the rest of the world around her just blurred; A moment when nothing else mattered and it was just the two of them, smiling at each other and completely lost in their own little world.

 

Slowly, the smile on Chloe’s face stretched wider. She continued to gaze at the brunette for a little while longer, before leaning down to capture Beca’s lips with her own in a heated kiss, feeling her heart flutter inside her chest on this perfectly ordinary yet ineffably remarkable winter evening.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll start meeting some friends from Beca's past in the next few chapters! :)


	28. Chapter 28

 

 

“So, what took you guys so long to get here? Did you get stuck in traffic?” Jesse asked, looking at Beca.

 

They were currently sitting in a booth in the bar. Cynthia Rose had to go to the weekly family dinner at her mom’s house with her wife, so only Emily and Aubrey managed to make it tonight. And since Fat Amy still had about an hour before her shift started, she was in the booth with them as well.

 

Beca shot Chloe a subtle glance, before clearing her throat a little, “No, we… uh, something just came up. Sorry Jesse.”

 

“Yeah right.” Fat Amy winked exaggeratedly at Beca, and then at Chloe as well.

 

“What are you doing?! Stop winking Amy!” Beca spluttered, her face starting to turn red.

 

Chloe laughed at her awkward girlfriend, coming to her rescue and changing the subject, “So Jesse, who’s this new singer?”

 

“Well, this new kid’s a gem I’m telling you.” Jesse smirked, “But Beca set the bar pretty high to be honest, otherwise it wouldn’t take me nearly a month to find a new singer.”

 

“She sure did!” Chloe turned to look at Beca proudly, “Let’s see if this new singer of yours is half as good as Beca.”

 

“Oh god.” Beca rolled her eyes playfully at her girlfriend, “And let’s also see when my girlfriend can stop bragging about me.” She chuckled.

 

“Never.” Chloe grinned.

 

“You know, Beca,” Emily chimed in, “Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard you sing live. I mean, I’ve heard your songs on Chloe’s phone, but I can only imagine what you sound like when you sing live! It must be amazing.”

 

Beca smiled, “Thanks Emily.” She turned to look at Chloe with an arched eyebrow, “You have my songs on your phone?”

 

“Of course, I have to be fully prepared so that I can show you off any time I want!”

 

“Well, Bec, you want to sing something now? My newly found gem won’t be here for at least half an hour. We have our guitar and keyboard on the stage anyway.” Jesse suggested, “Unless our superstar doesn’t sing in bars anymore?” He joked.

 

Baca snorted, “Yeah Jesse, I’m apparently a diva now.” She looked over at the stage and saw that there were indeed a guitar and a keyboard on the stage. So she shrugged, “Well, actually I kind of miss singing here, so I guess I’ll sing something for you guys?”

 

Chloe and Emily squealed excitedly when Beca stood up from the seat, making everyone else laugh a little. Beca caught a glimpse of Aubrey before she left and suddenly had a mischievous idea. She smirked, leaning closer to Chloe and whispered, “And lucky for you, Doctor Beale, you are finally going to hear a special acoustic version of my new song, so listen carefully.”

 

“Oh my god! Seriously?!” Chloe asked ecstatically in a hushed voice.

 

“Seriously.” Beca laughed.

 

“Jesus, are you singing or not? We are all waiting here. And what’s with all the whispering?” Aubrey rolled her eyes slightly, sipping her drink.

 

“Alright alright, I’m going. Didn’t realize you were actually looking forward to my performance, Posen.” Beca glanced at the unsuspecting blonde again, before leaving the booth and stepping onto the familiar stage. _Finally, it’s time for some payback! Aubrey has no idea what she’s about to hear._ Beca thought and snickered inside. This whole evening was going to get very interesting.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey there, umm… I’m just here to sing a little something for my friends before the official singer arrives. So… yeah, here it goes.”

 

Beca looked up one more time and winked at the redhead, adjusting her position on the stool a little and started to strum the guitar.

 

Chloe watched Beca with a giant a smile on her face. Over this past month, she could feel some changes about the brunette. Everything from the way Beca held herself, to the way she spoke, and to that look of unassailable confidence in her eyes all made Chloe feel incredibly giddy with pure joy and pride. She just loved seeing Beca being this confident and assertive again. She loved hearing Beca talk about her job, the things she learnt, or the people she got to meet in all excitement, feeling herself also fall into an enraptured trance just by looking at the sparks twinkling in those stormy blue eyes. ~~~~

Her heart started to pound in her chest with anticipation when Beca opened her mouth and started singing out the words. However, not even one minute into this song, she instantly understood why Beca was being so secretive about it and she started to regret inviting Aubrey here tonight because she was definitely going to face the utter rage from her best friend later.

 

 

_I woke up with a fear this morning_

_But I can taste you on the tip of my tongue_

_Alarm without no warning_

_When I kiss your lips, feel my heart beat thump_

_And now we're way up, dancing on the roof of the house_

_And then we make love, right there on your best friend's couch_

Beca winked at Chloe when she was singing this line, and Chloe’s cheeks were immediately on fire. The redhead broke eye contact with Beca and quickly buried her face in her hands. Beca laughed inside at her girlfriend’s adorableness while smirking at Aubrey’s instantly paled face. Well of course, when they were alone in Aubrey’s apartment helping set up her birthday party, they only had a small make-out session on the couch. But Beca just felt like adding that line to the lyrics anyway merely to scar Aubrey for life, as payback for calling her hobbit for so long. She knew Chloe would definitely give her a hard time about this later but it was worth it, and she was super proud of herself.

 

She stifled a giggle and continued to finish this song, with her signature lopsided smile playing complacently on the corner of her lips.

_And then you say "love, this is what it's all about"_

_So keep on kissing my mouth and put that record on again_

_I don't want to hear sad songs anymore_

_I only want to hear love songs_

_I found my heart up in this place tonight_

_Don't want to sing mad songs anymore_

_I only want to sing your song_

_Cause your song's got me feeling like I'm_

Chloe listened to this song with a palpitating heart, and she wasn’t even sure what she should be feeling right now. On one hand, this was such an amazing song and those lyrics had the power to bring back a thousand sweet memories in a split second, making her blush and giggle simultaneously. On the other hand, she also felt she should be mad at Beca, because right now, she could practically feel the shock and rage waves radiating from Aubrey who was sitting next to her. Chloe closed her eyes briefly, deciding to immerse herself in Beca’s beautiful voice for now and worry about everything else later. Seriously, Beca Mitchell was going to be the death of her!

_I don't want to hear sad songs anymore_

_I only want to hear love songs_

_I found my heart up in this place tonight_

_Don't want to sing mad songs anymore_

_I only want to sing your song_

_Cause your song's got me feeling like I'm_

_I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love_

_Yeah, you know your song's got me feeling like I'm_

Beca finished with a last stroke on the guitar, finally letting herself burst into laughter. She placed the guitar back in place and strolled back to their booth casually.

 

“So, what do you guys think? You like the song?” She snickered and sat back down next to her straight-faced girlfriend.

 

“Well, I’m pretty sure we all love this song.” Jesse grinned, “Oh wait, maybe except Aubrey.”

 

Emily giggled as well, “You sounded amazing Beca! Is this a new song?”

 

“Yep, it’s a new one completely based on my real-life experiences—”

 

“Oh my god, Beca!” Chloe spluttered with a flushed face, shooting a glare at her girlfriend.

 

The redhead jumped a little when Aubrey suddenly reached out a hand and gripped her arm tightly. She swallowed, slowly turning her head to face her best friend while biting down on her lip nervously. Okay, this looked really bad, because peering into Aubrey’s pale face, Chloe couldn’t even tell if her best friend was going to stress vomit or pass out in the next second. So she hurriedly began,

 

“Bree, I can explain, we—”

 

“Wait a second, you two have never been to my apartment together except… on my birthday, which was a month ago— OH MY GOD!!! CHLOE!!!” Aubrey raised her voice at the end of the sentence, the shock in her eyes beginning to turn into pure horror when she recalled that the two did look a little weird when she came back home from the office that day.

 

Chloe flinched a little due to the loud volume, “It’s not what you think Bree! You have to believe me! We didn’t actually— I swear! I don’t know why Beca put that line in the lyrics, I—”

 

“So you guys didn’t… do anything? You were just doing the task as I asked you to?!” Aubrey cut the redhead off incredulously, narrowing her eyes while trying to breathe normally as best she could.

 

“Well, t-technically… I mean we kind of made out for a while at some point, but we didn’t— we would never—" Chloe groaned, turning to Beca and nudging the amused brunette with her elbow, “Hello?! A little help here would be appreciated Mitchell!”

 

Beca laughed, deciding it was probably enough teasing for the night. “Alright Posen, we didn’t have sex on your couch that day if that’s what you’re worried about, but as for other places in your apartment—”

 

“BECA!” Chloe scolded, seeing Aubrey was on the verge of having a cardiac arrest right there.

 

“Okay okay! I was kidding. Like Chloe said, we just made out a little on your couch that day, nothing more.” Beca smirked, seeing Aubrey relax a little, “Now I hope you know there will be consequences when you call people names behind their back, Posen. So, you know, stop calling me you-know-what.”

 

Aubrey rolled her eyes, “Fine, you look like a troll anyway.”

 

Chloe threw her head back with a long groan. _Seriously, why couldn’t these two just have a nice and peaceful conversation for once?!_

 

“My god, this is even more fun to watch than my favourite Aussie soap opera I gotta say.” Fat Amy whispered to Jesse and Emily, watching Beca and Aubrey bickering while Chloe tried to get them to calm down. “We seriously need to have them come here more often. And get some popcorn too.”

* * *

 

 

“Well Jesse, is your mysterious new singer coming or not? I’m starting to get really intrigued you know.” Chloe asked, after finally getting Beca and Aubrey to agree on a truce for the night.

 

Jesse checked the time on his phone, “Well, should be any minute now, I just texted h—”

 

“Beca?”

 

Beca frowned at the familiar voice coming from behind her. She turned her head around and her eyes immediately widened,

 

“Benji?! Oh my g—” She was instantly tackled in a bear hug by the younger boy before she even finished saying the sentence.

 

“Oh my god! Oh my god! Beca! It’s really you! I can’t believe I’d see you here! Man, it’s been so long! Why didn’t you tell us you moved to New York?!” Benji exclaimed happily, while squeezing his arms around the small brunette tightly.

 

“O-kay, kid. You can let go now.” Beca chuckled and patted Benji’s back a little awkwardly.

 

“Still not a fan of hugs I see.” Benji grinned and let go of the brunette, standing back properly.

 

“Wait a minute, you guys know each other?” Jesse chimed in and looked back and forth between Beca and Benji, surprised.

 

“Yep! Small world huh? I’ve known Beca since I was only 15!  She’s basically like my big sister, well although somehow she looks tinier than the last time I saw her!” Benji told Jesse excitedly and sat down beside him, laughing when he saw Beca scrunch up her face.

 

“That’s because you got taller dork! Now what are you doing here?!” Beca asked while glaring at him slightly, surprise still remaining in her tone.

 

“Well, I’m the new bar singer here!” Benji lifted the guitar in his hand a little, “I just finished my bachelor’s degree in vocal arts and figured I should give Broadway a try. Then my agent suggested that it’s probably better to move to New York for more opportunities! So, I got here a few weeks ago and thought I should find a gig since I had a bit of free time in the evening.”

 

Beca smiled, “Look at you, already having an agent huh?” She leaned forward and threw a light punch on the boy’s arm, “Pretty fancy, kid.”

 

Benji grinned, finally noticing that Beca was sitting with a few other people, so he offered them a polite smile along with a shy wave, which reminded Beca that she should probably introduced them.

 

So she gestured at Benji, “Umm, guys, this is Benjamin Applebaum. I knew him back when I was in LA—”

 

“Benji is fine.” The young artist chimed in and grinned.

 

“Yeah, Benji, forgive me for trying to do a formal introduction.” Beca rolled her eyes slightly, “And Benji, I suppose you already know Jesse, and these are my friends— Fat Amy, Emily, Aubrey and my girlfriend Chloe.”

 

Benji smiled at each of them. However, when he heard Chloe’s name, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the redhead for a second longer. Then suddenly, he realized something. “Hold on one second!” He widened his eyes and leaned closer to Beca, “It’s her, isn’t it? THE Chloe? You are back together?” He tried to whisper, but his voice was still loud enough for the whole table to hear.

 

Seeing Beca nod, Chloe frowned in confusion and asked the younger singer, “I’m sorry? Do you know me?”

 

Benji laughed, “Oh yeah, I know you. Beca used to talk about you, you know.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Beca.

 

“Oh god.” Beca groaned and blushed slightly. She had a feeling this unexpected meet-and-greet was not going to end well, so she decided to take the initiative and change the subject before this giant dork said something else that he shouldn’t be saying.

 

“How’s Sophie?” She asked Benji.

 

“Oh she’s doing great! She’s still teaching psychology at the university, but she’s the head of school now.”

 

“Nice, and the firecracker?”

 

Benji laughed, “Abby is alright too. She decided to continue doing a master’s degree at the School of Chicago Art Institute, full scholarship.”

 

“Damn, I should’ve stolen some of her paintings back then.” Beca joked and sighed dramatically, “Might get super rich when she gets famous.”

 

“Way ahead of you, I’ve already hoarded some.” Benji answered smugly, “I could give you one. But only one, no more.”

 

Beca rolled her eyes, “Keep them dork, I’m pretty sure the ones you managed to steal are probably all her doodles that she intended to throw away.”

 

“Hey, that doesn’t mean they are not good okay?!” Benji protested and pouted.

 

“So, how did you guys meet?” Chloe asked happily. Beca didn’t usually talk much about her years in LA, so the redhead was really excited that she got the chance to meet one of Beca’s friends from LA.

 

“Umm, we met a few months after I first got to LA and—” Beca started but was cut off by Benji almost immediately.

 

“Oh no, you are not telling this story. I have a feeling you are probably gonna finish it in like 3 sentences. But this is such a great story, so I’ll tell it properly.” Benji cleared his throat and looked around the table, making sure that he had gotten everyone’s attention.

 

“Well, it was one summer afternoon in LA, and I was out playing the guitar in this park near our house for fun, while my twin sister Abby was sitting not too far from me, practicing sketching. Yeah, she’s a painter.” Benji added a little proudly, ignoring glares from Beca. “Anyway, I still remember that I was singing the super classic ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, you know, channelling my inner Elvis and all—”

 

“Oh my god, do you have to go this detailed?” Beca whined.

 

“Shush Becs, I want to hear this!” Chloe nudged her grumpy girlfriend and looked at Benji expectantly.

 

“Yeah superstar, you should really listen carefully and learn. You sure are one terrible story-teller.” Fat Amy added matter-of-factly.

 

Beca huffed and sat back, folding her arms and listening to Benji talk animatedly about that afternoon when they first met. She chuckled inside when she thought of that whole event. Yeah okay, maybe Benji was right, it sure was one hell of a story.

 

 

_Beca was roaming aimlessly in an unknown street somewhere in LA, with her guitar strapped to her back. She had been wandering around the city for almost an hour now, hoping to find a quiet place to sit down and write her songs peacefully._

_It had been three months since Beca arrived in LA_ _, and that was about when her initial excitement of moving to a new city started to wear off. Admittedly, it wasn’t exactly the fresh start that she imagined, but it was as close as it could get. Beca figured she was doing okay. She managed to find a quite stable gig at a club near east Hollywood. She would go there six nights a week, singing some covers or sometimes even her own songs, and it actually paid her pretty well to cover all her expenses in this pricey city. She had rented herself a tiny studio apartment. Not much but cosy enough. And above all, she was still doing what she loved, singing and playing her music for a living, so that was something, right? ~~~~_

_But then, she started to get this feeling again in the pit of her stomach_ _, this perplexed and empty feeling, like she was walking down an endless road all by herself, while it was all vast and hazy in the distance. From time to time, this freakishly long road would divide into branches, and that was actually what fazed Beca the most. Which way should she go? Should she change her direction and go into a different path? Or should she stick to her original one? More importantly, how on earth could she know that she was going the right way?_

_Most of the time, she felt like she was just winging it, without a single clue whether she was making the right decisions or not. But hey, she was still in her early twenties, and that was probably how it was supposed to be, right? To make mistakes and learn from them, hoping to figure out which direction to go and what she really wanted along the way. So for now, maybe it was okay to not have all the answers. Maybe it was okay to just move forward boldly and see where life would take her._

_Normally, Beca would just stay in her apartment during her free time and try to write some songs, but it was hot that afternoon and her fan just so happened to stop working. And she was also pretty sure that she broke it even more when she tried to fix it. Therefore, with a sigh, she decided to take her song-writing session outside and well, perhaps a change of environment might give her some new inspiration anyway._

_Without any destination in mind_ _, Beca strolled around casually, taking some random turns whenever she felt like it, and then this nice little park came into sight._

_She went into the park and walked around for a bit before finally spotting a vacant bench underneath a giant oak tree. So she quickly went to sit down and took the guitar off her back, letting out a sigh of relief._

_The air was warm that day_ _. Beams of sunlight poured through the narrow openings between the leaves and glistened on her skin. There were flower hedges and bushes growing all around the park, and not so far from where she was sitting, a small stone fountain was _gushing water in changing patterns tirelessly_ _. The dancing water sparkled brightly in the sun, adding some much-needed cooling comfort to this scorching afternoon. N_ ext to the fountain, a few kids were running around happily in the playground area, while their parents chatted among themselves in small groups. _

_Beca closed her eyes and leaned back, inhaling deeply and smiling when she smelled the freshly cut grass. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves above her, caressing her cheeks and tousling her hair a little. She listened intently to the soothing sound of the fountain burbling in the background along with the distant chirping of birds, feeling herself gradually slipping into a calm and relaxed trance-like state. It was moments like this that she could finally manage to forget everything else, forget… someone, just for a little while to catch her breath in her life, before she had to jump back to reality and get back on that long road again._

_She was on the verge of drifting off to a nap when a deep and tender voice suddenly crept into her peaceful bubble, startling her a little._

_Beca snapped her eyes open and looked around, noticing that a teenage boy was standing near the fountain now. He was singing while strumming an acoustic guitar, and it sounded like he was singing the classic ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’._

_Intrigued, Beca stood up and picked up her own guitar_ _, starting to walk towards the young singer to get a closer look._

_The boy was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt and a pair of jeans_ _, while hues of sunshine melted into his messy chestnut hair. He looked like he was only 14 or 15 years old, with an endearing nerdy look and slightly chubby cheeks._

_Beca stood at the side a few feet from the teenager and quietly watched him sing. She wondered what it felt like to just find a random spot on the street and start singing. She had seen some of the street musicians near her apartment and they all looked so happy and content during their street performances, but she had never had the guts to try it herself._

_Within the minute_ _, a few other people started to gather around the boy as well. Some of them even went over and put some change in the boy’s open guitar case._

_The song was almost over_ _, and Beca was a little impressed because the boy had a really nice voice. His guitar fingering could use a little more practice, but overall it was still pretty decent. She narrowed her eyes and listened with a thoughtful face. There was something about his voice that felt a bit off, but she just couldn’t figure out what it was. Thinking she must be paranoid, Beca tucked that thought in the back of her mind with a shrug. After all, this was a nice performance to say the least._

_The boy soon finished the song_ _and started to take a few bows with a goofy grin on his face as the crowd clapped and slowly dispersed._

This kid has some serious potential. _Beca thought to herself and smiled a little, starting to walk away as well. But then, something clicked in her mind, making her stop in her tracks. She turned around hesitantly, seeing that the boy was now drinking from a bottle of water._

_“Hey kid,” Beca called out. She wasn’t sure what came over her, but since she already got the boy’s attention, there was no going back. “Nice performance. But try raising the key a little for that song, it might suit your vocal range better. The original key is a bit too low for your voice.”_

_“Oh okay…” The boy seemed a little baffled, immediately putting down his water bottle._

_“And you know, it’s okay to make slight changes and add your own personal touches to the song. You don’t have to imitate everything from the original.” Beca shrugged._

_The younger singer blinked_ _, “Oh umm… thanks for the advice. I’ll try that.”_

_Beca nodded, starting to move away back to her bench, when a slightly aggressive voice sounded from behind her, catching her attention._

_“Hey you! Tiny lady with the guitar!”_

_Beca frowned, turning back around again, seeing a girl with a shoulder length bob appeared out of nowhere and was standing next to the young boy now. She looked about the same age as him, with the same chestnut brown hair and same dark blue eyes, only the girl was currently glaring at Beca for some unknown reason._

_“What?” Beca asked incredulously._

_“Who do you think you are to tell my brother how to sing his songs?! He sounded perfectly fine to me!” The young girl didn’t even bother to be polite at all._

_“Are you for real?!” Beca was a bit taken aback. She couldn’t believe it. What was this girl’s problem?!_

_“Abby,” The boy tugged at his sister’s arm, a little timidly, “Let it go, she was just trying to give me some advice.”_

_“Well, I’m not letting you feel discouraged just because a random stranger decided to make some self-righteous remarks about your singing. She probably goes around all day and judges other people just to feel better about herself.” The girl huffed, shooting another glare at Beca._

_“Excuse me?! What is your problem?!” Beca was getting angry as well, “I was just trying to make a friendly suggestion. And for the record, I didn’t even mention that your brother’s guitar fingering clearly needs more practice!”_

_“Huh? Wha_ _—” The boy turned to look at the infuriated older brunette before he got cut off by his sister._

_“Shush Benji, let me handle this!” The girl moved closer to Beca, eyeing the guitar strapped to her back, “Well, if you really know it so well, why don’t you show us what a perfect guitar fingering is, huh? You can talk if you are truly better than my brother. Oh, and what else did you say? ‘Add personal touches to songs’? Why don’t you show us that as well?” She challenged._

_Beca snorted, “I don’t have to prove anything to you. Besides, I don’t just randomly burst into song on the street, kid.” She rolled her eyes and tried to walk away again._

_“Well, a true artist would never care where they sing. And FYI, next time when you judge someone else, make sure that you actually know the stuff, otherwise it’s just embarrassing.” The girl scoffed from behind, “Do you even play the guitar? Are you one of those hipsters that just carry a guitar around to look cool?”_

_Okay. That was it._

_Beca spun around abruptly to face the smug girl, “Fine! You want to know what a perfect guitar fingering is?! Watch and learn, you little brat!”_

_She pulled the guitar off of her back and around front with a little too much force, startling the two teenagers standing near her._

_“Try not to blink, or you’ll probably miss a lot.” Beca stated plainly and stormed to the spot where the boy was singing not long ago, immediately starting to strum her guitar._

_~_

_25 minutes later_ _, Beca had already played 3 of her songs along with her own version of ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, attracting more and more people around her. And since she didn’t carry her own guitar case that day, people started to put money into the boy’s open guitar case beside her feet now._

_She had to admit, it did feel pretty great singing out in the open. She could feel a_ _rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins_ _and she wondered why she’d never thought to try this before. Plus, what made her even more satisfied was the looks on the two siblings’ faces. The boy was staring at Beca in awe the whole time, with his mouth slightly open. And his sister? Well, Beca could basically see the girl gritting her teeth in frustration while still trying to act casual with her arms crossed in front of her._

_With a smirk_ _, Beca finished the song she was currently singing and walked back to the two teenagers. “Anything else to say?” She asked and looked pointedly at the now silent girl._

_The younger brunette rolled her eyes_ _and looked away without a word._

_“I thought so.” Beca snickered, pleased. She glanced at the dumbfounded boy, “Keep singing kid, you have some real talent you know.” She offered him a small smile before turning to leave._

_“Wait! The money, you should keep_ _—” The boy suddenly snapped out of his trance and stopped Beca._

_“You keep it kid, I took your spot anyway.” Beca shrugged._

_“No, I would never have that many people listen to me sing.” The younger singer insisted, “You should take it.”_

_“Really, it’s fine kid.” Beca laughed, “Keep practicing and you’ll attract more people than me before you know it.”_

_“Ohh, okay… hey, umm… you are probably gonna think this is weird but… can_ _—can I ask you something?” The young boy was chewing his bottom lip nervously._

_“What?”_

_“I was just wondering… if you could teach me how to play the guitar like you? I’ve been taking guitar lessons but none of my teachers are as good as you.” He asked, looking at Beca expectantly._

_Beca blinked, “Wow kid, I’m flattered. But I’m not a professional music teacher or anything. I just sing at clubs and stuff.”_

_“But you are literally better than all of my teachers, like ten thousand times better!” The boy insisted, “I can pay you, you know, like as the rate for professional guitar tutors?”_

_“Benji! What the hell?! Are you out of your mind?!” The girl slapped his brother’s arm, leaning closer and whispering to him furiously._

_Beca was going to refuse anyway, but seeing the girl’s reaction, she suddenly changed her mind. “Well, how about this? You don’t have to pay me and I’m not going to be your tutor or anything. Let’s just come to this park a few times a week. We can play the guitar here like earlier and I’ll… show you some tricks up my sleeve.” Beca suggested._

_“R-really?! Are you serious?” The boy gasped, ignoring the death glare from his sister._

_“Yeah, why not? I kind of enjoy playing music out in the open now. So I think I’m gonna keep doing that from now on anyway.” Beca smirked, seeing the younger brunette roll her eyes again. Okay, she admitted that she only suggested this to get under the girl’s skin._

_“Oh my god! That’s perfect!” The boy exclaimed and remembered something, “Ah pardon me, where are my manners?! I’m Benjamin Applebaum, you can just call me Benji. And this is my very rude twin sister Abigail.” He nudged his sister in the side._

_“Abby’s fine.” The young brunette said reluctantly._

_“Cool, I’m Beca.”_

_Benji grinned, “Well, Beca, what are you doing now? Our house is right over there across the road, do you want to come in and have a soda or something? That’s the least I could do since you let me keep all the money.”_

_“Uh, I don’t know_ _—” Beca was a little unsure._

_“Come on, just for 20 minutes? I have a lot of questions that I want to ask you!” Benji pulled his puppy dog eyes, “Like, I’m really bad at barre chords! And and like how do I use my pinkie properly? I feel like I’m not doing it right sometimes…”_

_Beca chuckled lightly at the excitement painted all over the boy’s face. It was nice to see someone this passionate about music like her. “Fine, but only for 20 minutes. No more.” She gave in and started to walk away with the ecstatic boy, wondering what on earth she had gotten herself into._

_Abby stood there and watched his brother in disbelief, “What the heck is wrong with you Benji?! You can’t just invite a stranger to our house! Hey! Are you even listening to me?! Sophie’s gonna be mad I’m telling you!” She yelled from behind them._

_“Oh relax Abby,” Benji turned his head and yelled back, “Sophie’s always saying that I should make more friends. Well, Beca’s my friend now, she’s not a stranger!”_

_Abby huffed, noticing that Benji’s guitar case was still lying there on the ground, “Hey, you’re just gonna leave your guitar case and the money here_ _— Hello?! Benji?!” She shouted but the two had already walked too far to hear her._

_“I swear to god, if he isn’t my brother...” She muttered, going to pack Benji’s stuff and pick up her own sketching equipment, before going back home as well._

“So that’s it. Beca couldn’t get rid of us since then.” Benji grinned and then sighed a little sadly, “I wish we could’ve spent more time together but… Anyway, Beca’s still my mentor. She taught me pretty much everything I know about guitar. You know, before I met her, I was just a kid that really liked singing and Beca made me realize that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. And I know Abby felt the same way too. She’ll probably kill me for saying this, but I know it was also Beca that inspired her to pursue her own dream.”

 

“Oh god, please don't get all mushy on me!” Beca rolled her eyes slightly, “And I think it’s time to tell you the truth kid. I only went to the park every week back then for some extra cash.” She joked but felt her heart warm at Benji’s words.

 

Chloe turned to look at her girlfriend and smiled. She reached out and linked their fingers together under the table, stroking the back of Beca’s hand with her thumb lightly.

 

Beca glanced at the redhead before giving her hand a little squeeze back, her own lips curling upwards as well.

 

“Okay, whatever you say, mentor.” Benji snickered and checked the time, “Well, I guess it’s probably time for me to sing.”

 

“Not so fast Benji.” Jesse stopped the young artist from standing up, “I’m sure we all want to hear more stories and see you embarrass Beca even more! Stay and talk with us, you’ll sing later.”

 

Benji laughed, “Really? I would love that actually! You guys want to hear the time when Beca got attacked by a squirrel while we were singing at the park?”

 

“Oh my god…” Beca muttered and covered her eyes with her hand. _This was definitely going to be a long night for her._


End file.
